Friday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time · Gospel reading Matt 25,1-13.

In Matthew 25, Jesus presents a striking image of preparedness and vigilance. He describes ten young women awaiting a bridegroom’s arrival, each carrying a lamp. Five come equipped with extra oil; five do not. When the bridegroom’s arrival is delayed deep into the night, all fall asleep. Yet at the midnight cry announcing his coming, only those with sufficient oil can light their lamps and proceed to the wedding celebration.

This parable speaks to a fundamental spiritual reality: we must prepare ourselves now for eternity. The oil represents our spiritual readiness—the virtues, prayers, sacraments, and faithful choices that sustain us through life’s long waiting. We cannot borrow holiness from others when the critical moment arrives. Our neighbor’s faith, however strong, cannot substitute for our own.

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Jesus emphasizes an uncomfortable truth: some will find themselves unprepared when the time comes. The bridegroom’s refusal to recognize those without oil is not cruel indifference but rather the natural consequence of their choices. This is accountability. We are responsible for our own spiritual condition.

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The parable’s repeated theme of watchfulness challenges us to examine our lives today. Are we actively nurturing our relationship with God through prayer, the sacraments, and living Christ’s commandments? Or are we presuming on God’s patience, postponing conversion, assuming we’ll “get serious” about faith later?

The uncertainty of the bridegroom’s exact hour—mirroring our ignorance of when we’ll face judgment—is meant to inspire constant readiness, not anxiety. Like the wise virgins, we prepare by living faithfully each day: attending Mass, receiving the Eucharist, confessing our sins, serving others, and growing in virtue.

This Gospel invites honest reflection. What spiritual “oil” am I neglecting? Where have I grown complacent in my faith? The good news is that we still have time. Today is the day to recommit ourselves to genuine discipleship, so that whenever the Bridegroom comes—whether at life’s end or at the world’s—we will be ready to meet him with joy.