Be Prepared!
by Fr. Jerome Cayetano | 11/08/2026 | The WORD in other wordsOne of the themes in the Sacred Scripture is about acquiring "wisdom." To be wise means to have a lamp that is lit because wisdom guides the person to the right path. And to be foolish means to be unwise, that is, to live a life without any direction at all. Today, we hear the famous parable of the ten virgins, five of whom are wise, and the other five are foolish.
They were supposed to meet the bridegroom with lighted lamps. The wise ones brought an extra flask of oil, for they had anticipated that the bridegroom would be long delayed, while the foolish ones didn't anticipate the postponement of the bridegroom's arrival and didn't bring an extra flask of oil with them. Then they began to sleep, when suddenly at midnight someone cried out "The bride- groom is here! Come out and greet him!" At the outcry, all the virgins were awakened and got their lamps ready. The foolish ones said to the wise: "Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out." But the wise ones responded: "No, there may not be enough for you and us. You better go to the dealers and buy yourselves some." While they were bridegroom arrived; the ones who were ready went to the wedding feast with him. Then the door was barred. Later, the other virgins arrived. They cried out: "Master, open the door for us!" But he answered: "I tell you, I do not know you." The moral is: keep your eyes open, for you know not the day or the hour.
As Christians, we must acquire wisdom so that our lamps, which are our faith, will always be lit to welcome the Lord in our lives when He comes. He will come when he knocks the door of our life at death, wherein we will face Him in our personal judgement. He will come on the day of our final judgement and Parousia at the end of time. And He has been coming to us at the moments when we are unaware of His presence in the community, when we gather in His name, in the Word that is proclaimed before us, when we receive His own flesh and blood in communion, and when we meet Him in the faces of the needy and marginalized people around us who may be hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, sick, and imprisoned. We must be sensitive to the presence of Christ in our lives so that we would be able to know His mind and thought and eventually know Him personally.
For us to enter the wedding feast, we must be ready, making sure our torches and lamps are always lighted. We must anticipate the long delayed coming of the Master by bringing an extra flask of oil with us. We should not take our faith for granted by giving in to laziness. Let us transform ourselves to be men and women with passion as we exercise and live our faith and avoid being complacent, tepid and lukewarm in our faith. As the Boys Scout's motto says: "BE PREPARED!"