Oil of Virtue
(Wis.6:12-16; 1Thess.4:13-17; Mt.25:1-13)
Marcus Aurelius was a philosopher-king who ruled the Roman Empire in the second century. He’s known as one of the ‘Five Good Emperors’ because of his remarkable integrity and moral character.
Despite many wars and a terrible plague, he developed a profound inner life. Every night he wrote his Meditations, detailing his private struggle to remain a good man.
He wanted his son Commodus to be like him. He hired the best tutors, kept him close, and hoped his own character would ‘rub off’ on him. But character does not work that way. When his father died, Commodus soon emerged as a greedy, cruel, and depraved tyrant.
Why? Because you cannot give your wisdom or good character to someone else. Marcus Aurelius’ lamp was full of the oil of virtue, but he couldn’t pour any of it into his son’s empty vessel.
This is the point Jesus makes in his Parable of the Ten Virgins today.
To understand this story, it helps to know that in ancient Israel, newlyweds traditionally stayed at home. The bride and bridesmaids waited at the bride’s home for the groom and his companions to arrive, sometime in the evening. Then they all went singing and dancing to his home for the celebration.
In Jesus’ parable, the groom is delayed and arrives very late at the bride’s home. By this time, all ten bridesmaids are asleep and their lamps have gone out. This isn’t a problem for the five wise bridesmaids, though, for they have saved extra oil. They wake up, and with full lamps they are ready to go.
Five other bridesmaids, however, aren’t prepared. They have been wasting their time and run out of oil. In a panic, they ask the wise bridesmaids to share some, but they refuse. Why? Because you cannot share your oil of virtue with others. It’s unshareable.
What is this oil? It’s the oil of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s the oil of character, faith, and a soul living in a state of grace. You cannot borrow a prayer life at the last minute. You cannot borrow someone else’s sainthood. You cannot transfer your deep spirituality, your patience in suffering, or your virtuous habits to someone else when the Bridegroom arrives. Each individual vessel must collect its own oil.
The foolish bridesmaids are told to go get their own oil. They rush off to find some, and by the time they return, the celebration is over.
In this parable, Jesus is making an important point about God’s Kingdom. He’s saying that too many of us are trying to live on borrowed oil. We rely on the faith of a holy spouse, the prayers of a devout parent, or the warmth of our parish community. We think that when we are surrounded by light, our own lamps must be full.
But as the Book of Wisdom reminds us today, true wisdom can only be acquired individually. Wisdom is found by those who actively watch for her, desire her, and make room for her in their lives. Becoming wise is a long, slow process.
We can see this in the life of St Bernadette Soubirous. After meeting the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes, she became a nun in Nevers, France. But later in life she suffered from chronic asthma and painful tuberculosis of the bone. She was confined to her sickbed for long periods.
One day, another nun visited Bernadette at her bedside. Looking at the frail nun who spent her days in great pain and quiet prayer, the sister bluntly asked: ‘What do you do in your bed all day?’
Bernadette simply replied, ‘I’m doing my business.’
The other nun wondered, ‘What business is that?’
Bernadette replied: ‘My business is to love God.’ [i]
In that sick bay, St Bernadette was quietly filling her lamp. No-one else could see it or do it for her. While the rest of the world was busy, she was quietly saving her oil of virtue, drop by drop, through the silent offering of her suffering and her hidden acts of love for Jesus Christ.
When Jesus the Bridegroom finally came for her in 1879 and she entered eternal life, her lamp was blazing bright. She didn’t have to scramble at the last minute because she had spent a lifetime making Jesus her only business.
What will the Bridegroom find when he comes for you? Will your oil of faith, love and virtue be burning brightly?
If your answer is no, it’s time to start filling your vessel. It’s time to grow your inner life in the quiet of your heart.
[i] Trochu, F. St. Bernadette Soubirous: 1844–1879. Trans. by John Joyce. TAN Books, Charlotte, NC, 2008, 358.