Trimming the Wicks

~~~ 1 Corinthians 1:17-25 ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ Matthew 25:1-13 ~~~

The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins

who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 

Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 

The components of this story each play an important roll.

The ten virgins...the oil lamp...the oil...and the wick...

Removing one of these would make this 

a completely different story.

The virgins show up. 

They are eager to greet the bridegroom.

However, he is delayed which means they must wait.

This delay forces them to make 

a necessary decision...

do they put out the lamp or keep

 it burning, risking to run out of fuel.

For some this is a huge dilemma.

The ten virgins all carry their lamp with them.

They all appear to be prepared.

We do not see the inside of the lamps.

We soon learn that half of the women 

brought flasks of additional oil.

They came more prepared than the other five.

In our own lives we can be fooled into believing

 that as long as we show up...

as long as we bring our lamp 

it will be sufficient.

Further reading of this story 

proves that is not quite enough.

When the bridegroom arrives

 only the five wise virgins

 have sufficient oil to keep

 their flame burning brightly.

All ten virgins trimmed their wicks.

‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 

Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 

Trimming the wick in an oil lamp is important.

The wick is designed to draw up the oil from the lamp

in a steady fashion in order for the flame to burn.

The burning takes place just above the wick.

This liquid layer prevents the wick from being burned up.

Oxygen is prevented from reaching the wick itself.

As long as the wick remains saturated in the oil

 it is not consumed by the flame.

The virgins got up and trimmed their wicks...

trimmed wicks burn more brightly.

They were eager to have the brightest

 lamp to light the way for the bridegroom.

I invite you to consider what it means

 to be prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom.

I invite you to consider the lamp.

The lamp holds the precious oil; without 

the oil there is no light.

I also invite you to consider the wick...

the trimming of the wick.

We are like the wick because we must

 be saturated with the oil of God...the grace of God.

If we want to burn brightly we must 

have the oil of God's love and mercy.

Five virgins ran out of oil.

When they ran out of oil their wick dried up.

Without oil and a dry wick you 

loose the potential for light.

They lost their way without their lamp.

...those who were ready went into 

the wedding feast with him. 

Those who were ready...

showed up...brought their lamp...

carried extra fuel...trimmed their wick.

They came prepared. 

The doors were opened and the wise virgins 

were welcomed to wedding feast.

Be prepared.

Trimming your wick insures it will burn brightly.

Blessings of the oil.

~~~Peace~~~

Wholly with God

~~~Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Daniel 12:1-3 ~~~ Psalm 16 ~~~ Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 ~~~
~~~ Mark 13:24-32 ~~~ 

As we near the end of the liturgical year the church
 reminds us of the end times.
We are at the end of the cycle of readings for this year.
We are also nearing the end of the calendar year.
We are also at the time of year when we are invited
to express our gratitude.

Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.

The world as we know it will some day cease to exist...
but all that God has promised us will never fade away.
On the final judgment day there will
be no earth...there will be no heaven...
All that have been drawn to God...
all that have been found worthy will join
together in praise and glory of God.

“But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever."

What a glorious time this will be for all the faithful.
No matter what happens between now and then;
the word of the Lord holds the spirit and the life for you.

There will be unfathomable beauty, joy, and love.
The brilliance of God will consume us unto himself.
We will completely be with God.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Today is a reminder for us to always be vigilant...
to be ready...to have our heart filled with grace and mercy.

Each day souls all around the world
are called to come back home;
to be with God.

Some experience great fear and terror in a violent death.

Some struggle with reality on their death bed.

Some in despair and mental confusion
unfortunately end their own life.

Some lay peacefully, on their death bed,
 surrendering their soul back to God.

Some die alone others surrounded by loved ones.

You can be sure that God alone knows
 the time and the circumstances.
The question is. Will you be ready?

Now is the time to prepare.

Blessings for this time of reflection on the end times.

~~~Peace~~~

Faithful Servant

~~~ Ephesians 3:2-12 ~~~ Isaiah 12:2-3 ~~~ Luke 12: 39-48 ~~~

 

 

"...Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."

 

Does this verse from Luke disturb you as much as it does me?

If you are reading this I would think that you also read the Bible.

If you are a believer then you have been blessed with the gift of faith.

If you have the gift of faith then this verse is speaking to you.

If this verse is referring to you, how are you meeting his demands?

 

Yesterday I learned that a friend of mine unexpectedly passed away.

She was alone and seemingly died in her sleep.

 

"...You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

She was not battling a long illness...she was not in an accident...

she was simply living her life as a best she could.

She was a woman of faith.

She was a woman who often shared her appreciation for her faith.

She assisted groups of men and women explore their own beliefs

through Inquiry classes.

 

I hope that God was pleased with how she had responded to his demands

because she was an active believer.

May she rest in peace in the arms of God

who gifted her with faith.

 

Whenever we are faced with the death of a friend or relative

it may be the perfect time to do some introspection of your own.

 

I do not have the statistics, but I think probably most people do not

have an idea of when they will meet the Lord.

The challenge remains as to how to always be prepared.

It is easy to get caught up in living not giving must thought to dying.

 

Paul is speaking in his letter to the Ephesians about how he is meeting

the demands of his call from God.

 

 

Paul makes it clear that we...

 

"...are coheirs, members of the same Body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus..."

 

If we are all a part of the same Body then we are each affected

for either better or worse by one another.

Just as what happens in one part of our body

 is felt by the other parts of the body.

 

Whatever good you can do to meet the demands of one

who has been entrusted with much

ultimately will benefit the whole body.

 

The good you do today will live on in the greater body of Christ

even after he has come to carry you home.

 

In appreciation for the good my friend intended to share with others.

She responded well to what she had been given through her faith.

 

She was a faithful reader of my writings.

She will be missed by all who loved her.

She was a faithful servant.

Grab Your Lamp!

 

~~~ 1 Cor 1: 17-25 ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ Matthew 25:1-13 ~~~

 

Today we have a repeat of yesterday's mantra...

"...Stay awake for you know neither the day nor the hour."

 

The virgins who joined in the banquet were prepared.

They were indeed awake. They had planned well.

They were not just living for the moment.

They knew it was up to themselves to be ready

whenever the bridegroom did arrive.

They took responsibility for themselves.

No one can be ready and prepared for you.

No one else is required to help you be prepared.

No one is responsible for your readiness.

 

I just saw news footage of people being rescued

from their flooded houses

during the recent hurricane.

The truth is they were not prepared.

They did not heed the warnings.

In some cases they made a conscious decision to ignore the orders to evacuate.

So they took the chance of being plucked from their attic in the quickly rising waters.

They were willing to put the lives of the rescuers at risk for their own decisions.

 

For the longest time I used to think that the virgins

who were prepared were just selfish.

I used to think that the christian thing to do would have been to share.

But, typical of these Jesus stories, there is another view point at play here.

 

While it might be worthwhile to be concerned and care

about the wel-being of others,

ultimately you are responsible for yourself.

You cannot rely on others to take care of you

unless you are incapacitated.

Your soul preparedness is uniquely your chore...your assignment.

You are the one who must care for your soul...

you are the one who must secure oil for your lamp...

you are the one who must trim your wick in order

to have a more efficient lamp.

 

Your lamp provides a light for your path...a light for you feet.

If your lamp goes out it is you who will stumble and fall.

Another's lamp may provide some light for you along the way,

but it will not be like having your very own lamp.

 

Having your own lamp gives you the freedom and flexibility to move to around giving you the best sight possible.

 

If you allow your lamp to go out there is no one to blame but yourself.

If you allow your lamp to run out of oil;

there is no one but yourself to point a finger at.  

 

If you have your lamp oil burning it is a known fact that is must be dark.

You would not need to use your lamp oil in the daylight.

 

In the daylight is when you make your plans.

You check to see if you indeed have enough oil for your lamp.

If you have been awake and made your plans in the light of the day you will be

prepared when the time comes to light your lamp.

 

It is sad to think that when the bridegroom comes

you may be denied access to the banquet

because you were not prepared.

 

 Everyday is another opportunity to be prepared for the

arrival of the bridegroom.

So do want to stand with the prepared wise five or

will you stand with the unprepared foolish five?

 

 

You know where you stand right now.

This is valuable knowledge.

If you stand with the wise then you must continue

to be vigilant to maintain your state of preparedness. 

On the other hand if you stand with the foolish;

it is time

to start changing.

This is what is so great about Lent.

Lent is a major reminder to be prepared.

But we cannot wait until then, because we simply do not

know either the day or the hour

when the Lord will come.

 

People Get Ready, as the old gospel song says.

Get Ready to Stand with the Wise.