Suy Niêm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu tuần 21 TN - Matthew 25:1-13
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay mời gọi chúng ta phải có lòng trung thành Thiên Chúa và phải biết chú tâm trong cuộc sống hàng ngày của chúng ta. Năm cô trinh nữ khôn ngoan trước khi ra đi, họ đã chuẩn bị và sẵn sàng những thứ cần thiết cho những sự bất ngờ và họ đã nhận được phần thưởng của mình. Ngược lại, Năm trinh nữ khờ dại đã không biết chuẩn bị trước tất cả những cơ hội sẽ đến với họ, họ ỷ y với hy vọng rằng người khác sẽ giúp mình và họ đã thất vọng bỏ lỡ cơ hội đã đến với họ.
Có lẽ hôm nay chúng ta hãy tự đặt một vài câu hỏi cho chính mình. Nếu Thiên Chúa gọi tôi tại thời điểm này, tôi đã sẵn sàng chưa? Những gì trong cuộc sống mà tôi muốn làm, nếu tôi chỉ còn có một thời gian ngắn để sống? Ai là những người trong cuộc đời của tôi, mà tôi muốn gặp? Trong khi chúng ta suy nghĩ và tìm những câu trả lời cho những câu hỏi này, chúng ta có thể cảm thấy sự cần thiết phải thực hiện những ước muốn của chúng ta đang phát sinh ngay trong trái tim của chúng ta hôm nay..
Comment Friday 21st Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel reading calls us to faithfulness and attentiveness in our daily lives. The five wise virgins set out on their journey well prepared and ready for the unexpected. They received their reward. In contrast, the foolish left it all to chance in the hope that someone else would provide when the need arose. They were disappointed and missed the opportunity of seeing the Bridegroom when He arrived. God has a plan for each of us in life. We are called to use he gifts God has given to us to fulfill our particular mission in life. Each gift is precious and each moment of life is precious. We don’t know when the Bridegroom will call us.
Perhaps today is a good day to put a few questions to ourselves. If God called me at this moment am I ready? What are the things in life I would like to do if I only had a short time left? Who are the people in my life I would like to see? What is most important in my life right now? As we reflect on these questions we may feel the need to carry out the desires that arise in our hearts today.
The foolish virgins lacked the “oil” of good works. They failed to carry out God’s plan for them in life. They missed their opportunity. If we live each day like the wise virgins, doing what we feel God is calling us to do we will have no regret. Let us pray for the grace to live each day in the way God would want us to live it.
Friday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Today’s Gospel comes from Jesus’ final discourses with His disciples. It was the week of Passover. Jesus had already concluded His public preaching in the Temple and was now offering some final words to His closest companions. Though He was fully aware of the suffering He was about to endure, His disciples did not yet understand what was to come. Therefore, we should recognize in these final teachings the urgency of Jesus’ message—an urgent appeal received by the Twelve but not yet fully grasped.
The final discourses all center around the theme of vigilance, judgment, and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, knowing that His Passion was near, sought to prepare His disciples for the trials to come—not only the immediate trial of His crucifixion, but also the long vigil of the Church as she awaits His glorious return. In this parable of the ten virgins, Christ emphasizes the need for constant spiritual preparedness. The wise virgins symbolize those who live in a state of grace, are nourished by prayer, perform acts of charity, and remain faithful to God’s will. The oil in their flasks represents both good deeds and the inner life of the soul—alive through faith and love, and sustained by the Holy Spirit.
The foolish virgins represent those who give the appearance of belonging to the Bridegroom but fail to cultivate the interior life. They are unprepared for the delay, which signifies the mystery and hiddenness of God’s providential will and the unpredictability of the moment of our particular and final judgment. The final discourses, therefore, call us to an active and discerning faith that does not grow lax or presume upon last-minute conversion. Christ urges His disciples to “stay awake,” not in fear, but in hopeful readiness, living each day as if the Bridegroom might arrive at any hour.
Though this exhortation carries eschatological tones—pointing to our particular death and Jesus’ return in glory—it also refers to the countless ways God comes to us by grace, night and day, as we journey through this life. Attentiveness to those graced moments is, in many ways, the most important form of vigilance, because it prepares us to stand confidently before God when this life is over.
For that reason, hear Jesus’ concluding words in today’s Gospel as an exhortation to diligently await every graced moment of your day: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” God’s grace can come to us at any time and in any circumstance. We might be shopping, doing chores, eating a meal, or working, and—if our souls are attuned to His coming—we may sense an immediate and clear spiritual prompting by which God inspires us to act or refrain. The good news is that when God communicates His will, He offers more than instruction; He also imparts the providential grace we need to respond at once. Responding to Him is more than a choice we make; it is a cooperation with His grace, by which we act more fully as members of His Body, the Church.
Reflect today on the oil in your own flask. Are you spiritually prepared not only for the coming of the bridegroom at the end of your life or the end of time, but also for the daily, hidden comings of His grace? Seek to live each moment in a state of spiritual readiness, with your heart alert and open. When the Bridegroom comes—whether at the end of days or in the everyday quiet whispers of grace—blessed will you be to rise, lamp in hand, and enter the wedding feast with Him. Responding in this life gives us an immediate foretaste of the joy and peace we will experience in the Eternal Wedding Feast of the Lamb in Heaven.
My Lord and Eternal Bridegroom, You invite me, day and night, to enter the wedding feast of grace with You. Help me, I pray, to remain vigilant, to stay awake, and to always discern Your voice when You call. May I be ever ready, with the oil of charity and grace fueling the light of Your joy and peace—now and forever. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time 2026
1. Wise and Ready for the Bridegroom: Jesus presents himself throughout the Gospel as the Bridegroom, and the Church is his bride. The image speaks of the profound covenantal love that Christ has for his people. Like a bridegroom who goes away to prepare a place for his bride, Jesus has ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us. He will return, and when he does, we must be ready to welcome him. In today’s parable, ten virgins await the bridegroom. Five are wise, and five are foolish. All ten have lamps, and all ten become drowsy when the bridegroom is delayed. The difference between them is that the wise virgins have brought an additional supply of oil, while the foolish have not. The bridegroom’s delay is significant. Jesus does not tell us when he will return. The Christian life is lived in this period of waiting between Christ’s Ascension and his Second Coming. The apparent delay tests our perseverance. It is relatively easy to be enthusiastic about the faith for a short time. The challenge is to remain faithful when the bridegroom seems to be taking a long time. At midnight, the cry goes out: “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” The wise virgins are ready. Their lamps are burning, and they enter the wedding feast with the bridegroom. The foolish virgins, however, discover that they are unprepared. They leave to purchase oil, and while they are away, the bridegroom arrives. The door is shut, and they are left outside. The parable concludes with Jesus' warning: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Christ will come. The question is whether we will be ready to meet him.
3. Wisdom and Watchfulness: Matthew connects wisdom with watchfulness, perseverance, and readiness for the coming of Christ. The wise person recognizes that this present life is ordered toward eternity and therefore lives according to the light of that eternal destiny. Ultimately, wisdom is knowledge of God and the ability to judge all things in his light. Human wisdom recognizes that God created the world and providentially governs it. Revealed wisdom goes further: it tells us that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that the Father sent his only Son to redeem us from sin and conquer death; that through Christ we have become adopted children of God; and that, in the Holy Spirit, we are called to share in the eternal life of the Trinity. This wisdom changes the way we live. If Christ is truly the Bridegroom who is coming, then our earthly lives are a time of preparation for the eternal wedding feast. We should therefore live differently from those who believe that this world is all there is. We pray, love, sacrifice, forgive, serve, and persevere because we are preparing to meet someone we love. The foolish virgins were not foolish because they lacked intelligence. They were foolish because they failed to act according to the reality before them. They knew the bridegroom was coming, but they did not prepare adequately for his arrival. Christian wisdom means allowing what we know about God and our eternal destiny to shape what we do today. Watchfulness is wisdom put into practice. We keep our lamps burning by remaining faithful in love while we wait for Christ.
Friday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “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.” Matthew 25:1–2
The “ten virgins” in this parable refer to the bridesmaids who were following Jewish tradition by going to the home of the bride to await the coming of the groom for a wedding. This parable is one of a few parables Jesus told that emphasizes the importance of being vigilant in our Christian walk. As the parable goes on, we are told that the groom was delayed and that the bridesmaids fell asleep. Upon waking, the foolish ones had no more oil for their lamps and had to leave to get some more. When they returned, they discovered that the groom had already arrived and that the door was locked. They then knocked and said, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us!” But the reply came to them, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.” And they missed out on the wedding celebration.
Traditionally, the “oil” has been understood as a reference to charity. The message is simple. As we prepare to meet our Lord in Heaven, it is not enough to make the claim that we are Christians. We must also produce the good fruit of charity by our actions. Faith must result in charity, otherwise it is not true faith at all.
This parable should be taken seriously. We should use it as a regular source of examination of our lives in regard to the charity we have…or do not have. When you look at your life, can you point to regular acts of charity that flow from your love of God and are bestowed upon others? Charity is not based on your preferences in life. It’s not based on what you feel like doing. Charity is always selfless and sacrificial. It always looks toward the good of the other. How much charity is alive in your life? Jesus clearly told this parable because He was aware of many who professed a faith in God but did not live the love of God. It’s very easy to live our lives day in and day out, doing what we do because of our personal likes or dislikes. However, it is very difficult to foster true charity within our souls and to regularly choose to love others because it is good for them.
We must work to foster charity, first, in our thoughts. Critical and condemning thoughts must be eliminated, and we must strive to see others as God sees them. Charity must also direct our words. Our words must be encouraging of others, kind, supportive and merciful. Our actions become charitable when we become generous with our time, go out of our way to serve and are diligent in the ways we express our love of others.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling you have been given to live an active and manifest life of charity. Spend time reflecting upon what charity truly is. Have you allowed yourself to become guided by a more secular and selfish form of “love?” Do you act more out of selfish preferences than out of self-giving and sacrifice? Do you truly build people up and witness the love of God to them? Try to answer these questions seriously. This parable spoken from our Lord is much more than a story. It is truth. And the truth is that some will arrive at the day of judgment without the necessary “oil” for their lamps. Take our Lord seriously and examine your life of charity. Where you are lacking, become fervent in your mission to change. In the end, you will be eternally grateful you did.
My loving Lord, You showed us all that true love is selfless and sacrificial. You came to this world to serve and to give Your sacred life for us all. May I open my life more fully to Your love so that Your love may also affect and direct every relationship I have. Fill me with the gift of charity, dear Lord, so that I will be fully prepared for the day of my particular judgment. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday 21st Ordinary Time
It is very difficult for us to understand this parable. Why are ten virgins waiting outside for the bridegroom? Why do they need lamps? Even scholars are not sure. What is definite is that these virgins are not the brides. Our best guess is that they are more like bridesmaid; they are waiting to process the bridegroom into his feast.
Let us forget about the foolish virgins and consider two details about the wise virgins. First, they have flasks of oil with them. What do these flasks signify? We do not know. They are something extra, something beyond, but what they are is uncertain. After all the virgins fell asleep, they need what is in the flask. Perhaps it is prayer or study. The wise virgins had a stronger foundation of prayer and studying the Scriptures and the Catechism, so they were able to be ready when the time came.
The oil in the flask could also be a symbol of the Holy Spirit; oil often is used to symbolize the Holy Spirit. Then we would say that the light of faith burned out in those who were relying only on themselves for faith. The Holy Spirit is the only fuel for our faith that is sure to be there when we need it.
The second detail could be called holy selfishness. The wise virgins do not let the foolish virgins share what is in the flasks. There are many people in this world who would like to keep you from doing what you need to do to be ready for Christ, people who will complain that you are praying or studying or going to Mass when they need you for their own purposes. Do not let them prevent you from being prepared. Be selfish!
We do have human relationships which demand our time and effort. Failing to live up to them is not a holy thing. A mother who did not care for her children but spent all her time in prayer as if she were a nun would not be practicing true devotion. Nevertheless, our relationship with God comes first. We must not allow the world or anyone in the world to demand that we stop praying and studying, to demand that we give up whatever is in the flask that allows us to keep the fire burning. We must be selfish because we will not be able to do any good if we do not first seek God
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay mời gọi chúng ta phải có lòng trung thành Thiên Chúa và phải biết chú tâm trong cuộc sống hàng ngày của chúng ta. Năm cô trinh nữ khôn ngoan trước khi ra đi, họ đã chuẩn bị và sẵn sàng những thứ cần thiết cho những sự bất ngờ và họ đã nhận được phần thưởng của mình. Ngược lại, Năm trinh nữ khờ dại đã không biết chuẩn bị trước tất cả những cơ hội sẽ đến với họ, họ ỷ y với hy vọng rằng người khác sẽ giúp mình và họ đã thất vọng bỏ lỡ cơ hội đã đến với họ.
Có lẽ hôm nay chúng ta hãy tự đặt một vài câu hỏi cho chính mình. Nếu Thiên Chúa gọi tôi tại thời điểm này, tôi đã sẵn sàng chưa? Những gì trong cuộc sống mà tôi muốn làm, nếu tôi chỉ còn có một thời gian ngắn để sống? Ai là những người trong cuộc đời của tôi, mà tôi muốn gặp? Trong khi chúng ta suy nghĩ và tìm những câu trả lời cho những câu hỏi này, chúng ta có thể cảm thấy sự cần thiết phải thực hiện những ước muốn của chúng ta đang phát sinh ngay trong trái tim của chúng ta hôm nay..
Comment Friday 21st Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel reading calls us to faithfulness and attentiveness in our daily lives. The five wise virgins set out on their journey well prepared and ready for the unexpected. They received their reward. In contrast, the foolish left it all to chance in the hope that someone else would provide when the need arose. They were disappointed and missed the opportunity of seeing the Bridegroom when He arrived. God has a plan for each of us in life. We are called to use he gifts God has given to us to fulfill our particular mission in life. Each gift is precious and each moment of life is precious. We don’t know when the Bridegroom will call us.
Perhaps today is a good day to put a few questions to ourselves. If God called me at this moment am I ready? What are the things in life I would like to do if I only had a short time left? Who are the people in my life I would like to see? What is most important in my life right now? As we reflect on these questions we may feel the need to carry out the desires that arise in our hearts today.
The foolish virgins lacked the “oil” of good works. They failed to carry out God’s plan for them in life. They missed their opportunity. If we live each day like the wise virgins, doing what we feel God is calling us to do we will have no regret. Let us pray for the grace to live each day in the way God would want us to live it.
Friday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Today’s Gospel comes from Jesus’ final discourses with His disciples. It was the week of Passover. Jesus had already concluded His public preaching in the Temple and was now offering some final words to His closest companions. Though He was fully aware of the suffering He was about to endure, His disciples did not yet understand what was to come. Therefore, we should recognize in these final teachings the urgency of Jesus’ message—an urgent appeal received by the Twelve but not yet fully grasped.
The final discourses all center around the theme of vigilance, judgment, and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, knowing that His Passion was near, sought to prepare His disciples for the trials to come—not only the immediate trial of His crucifixion, but also the long vigil of the Church as she awaits His glorious return. In this parable of the ten virgins, Christ emphasizes the need for constant spiritual preparedness. The wise virgins symbolize those who live in a state of grace, are nourished by prayer, perform acts of charity, and remain faithful to God’s will. The oil in their flasks represents both good deeds and the inner life of the soul—alive through faith and love, and sustained by the Holy Spirit.
The foolish virgins represent those who give the appearance of belonging to the Bridegroom but fail to cultivate the interior life. They are unprepared for the delay, which signifies the mystery and hiddenness of God’s providential will and the unpredictability of the moment of our particular and final judgment. The final discourses, therefore, call us to an active and discerning faith that does not grow lax or presume upon last-minute conversion. Christ urges His disciples to “stay awake,” not in fear, but in hopeful readiness, living each day as if the Bridegroom might arrive at any hour.
Though this exhortation carries eschatological tones—pointing to our particular death and Jesus’ return in glory—it also refers to the countless ways God comes to us by grace, night and day, as we journey through this life. Attentiveness to those graced moments is, in many ways, the most important form of vigilance, because it prepares us to stand confidently before God when this life is over.
For that reason, hear Jesus’ concluding words in today’s Gospel as an exhortation to diligently await every graced moment of your day: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” God’s grace can come to us at any time and in any circumstance. We might be shopping, doing chores, eating a meal, or working, and—if our souls are attuned to His coming—we may sense an immediate and clear spiritual prompting by which God inspires us to act or refrain. The good news is that when God communicates His will, He offers more than instruction; He also imparts the providential grace we need to respond at once. Responding to Him is more than a choice we make; it is a cooperation with His grace, by which we act more fully as members of His Body, the Church.
Reflect today on the oil in your own flask. Are you spiritually prepared not only for the coming of the bridegroom at the end of your life or the end of time, but also for the daily, hidden comings of His grace? Seek to live each moment in a state of spiritual readiness, with your heart alert and open. When the Bridegroom comes—whether at the end of days or in the everyday quiet whispers of grace—blessed will you be to rise, lamp in hand, and enter the wedding feast with Him. Responding in this life gives us an immediate foretaste of the joy and peace we will experience in the Eternal Wedding Feast of the Lamb in Heaven.
My Lord and Eternal Bridegroom, You invite me, day and night, to enter the wedding feast of grace with You. Help me, I pray, to remain vigilant, to stay awake, and to always discern Your voice when You call. May I be ever ready, with the oil of charity and grace fueling the light of Your joy and peace—now and forever. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time 2026
1. Wise and Ready for the Bridegroom: Jesus presents himself throughout the Gospel as the Bridegroom, and the Church is his bride. The image speaks of the profound covenantal love that Christ has for his people. Like a bridegroom who goes away to prepare a place for his bride, Jesus has ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us. He will return, and when he does, we must be ready to welcome him. In today’s parable, ten virgins await the bridegroom. Five are wise, and five are foolish. All ten have lamps, and all ten become drowsy when the bridegroom is delayed. The difference between them is that the wise virgins have brought an additional supply of oil, while the foolish have not. The bridegroom’s delay is significant. Jesus does not tell us when he will return. The Christian life is lived in this period of waiting between Christ’s Ascension and his Second Coming. The apparent delay tests our perseverance. It is relatively easy to be enthusiastic about the faith for a short time. The challenge is to remain faithful when the bridegroom seems to be taking a long time. At midnight, the cry goes out: “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” The wise virgins are ready. Their lamps are burning, and they enter the wedding feast with the bridegroom. The foolish virgins, however, discover that they are unprepared. They leave to purchase oil, and while they are away, the bridegroom arrives. The door is shut, and they are left outside. The parable concludes with Jesus' warning: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Christ will come. The question is whether we will be ready to meet him.
3. Wisdom and Watchfulness: Matthew connects wisdom with watchfulness, perseverance, and readiness for the coming of Christ. The wise person recognizes that this present life is ordered toward eternity and therefore lives according to the light of that eternal destiny. Ultimately, wisdom is knowledge of God and the ability to judge all things in his light. Human wisdom recognizes that God created the world and providentially governs it. Revealed wisdom goes further: it tells us that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that the Father sent his only Son to redeem us from sin and conquer death; that through Christ we have become adopted children of God; and that, in the Holy Spirit, we are called to share in the eternal life of the Trinity. This wisdom changes the way we live. If Christ is truly the Bridegroom who is coming, then our earthly lives are a time of preparation for the eternal wedding feast. We should therefore live differently from those who believe that this world is all there is. We pray, love, sacrifice, forgive, serve, and persevere because we are preparing to meet someone we love. The foolish virgins were not foolish because they lacked intelligence. They were foolish because they failed to act according to the reality before them. They knew the bridegroom was coming, but they did not prepare adequately for his arrival. Christian wisdom means allowing what we know about God and our eternal destiny to shape what we do today. Watchfulness is wisdom put into practice. We keep our lamps burning by remaining faithful in love while we wait for Christ.
Friday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “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.” Matthew 25:1–2
The “ten virgins” in this parable refer to the bridesmaids who were following Jewish tradition by going to the home of the bride to await the coming of the groom for a wedding. This parable is one of a few parables Jesus told that emphasizes the importance of being vigilant in our Christian walk. As the parable goes on, we are told that the groom was delayed and that the bridesmaids fell asleep. Upon waking, the foolish ones had no more oil for their lamps and had to leave to get some more. When they returned, they discovered that the groom had already arrived and that the door was locked. They then knocked and said, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us!” But the reply came to them, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.” And they missed out on the wedding celebration.
Traditionally, the “oil” has been understood as a reference to charity. The message is simple. As we prepare to meet our Lord in Heaven, it is not enough to make the claim that we are Christians. We must also produce the good fruit of charity by our actions. Faith must result in charity, otherwise it is not true faith at all.
This parable should be taken seriously. We should use it as a regular source of examination of our lives in regard to the charity we have…or do not have. When you look at your life, can you point to regular acts of charity that flow from your love of God and are bestowed upon others? Charity is not based on your preferences in life. It’s not based on what you feel like doing. Charity is always selfless and sacrificial. It always looks toward the good of the other. How much charity is alive in your life? Jesus clearly told this parable because He was aware of many who professed a faith in God but did not live the love of God. It’s very easy to live our lives day in and day out, doing what we do because of our personal likes or dislikes. However, it is very difficult to foster true charity within our souls and to regularly choose to love others because it is good for them.
We must work to foster charity, first, in our thoughts. Critical and condemning thoughts must be eliminated, and we must strive to see others as God sees them. Charity must also direct our words. Our words must be encouraging of others, kind, supportive and merciful. Our actions become charitable when we become generous with our time, go out of our way to serve and are diligent in the ways we express our love of others.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling you have been given to live an active and manifest life of charity. Spend time reflecting upon what charity truly is. Have you allowed yourself to become guided by a more secular and selfish form of “love?” Do you act more out of selfish preferences than out of self-giving and sacrifice? Do you truly build people up and witness the love of God to them? Try to answer these questions seriously. This parable spoken from our Lord is much more than a story. It is truth. And the truth is that some will arrive at the day of judgment without the necessary “oil” for their lamps. Take our Lord seriously and examine your life of charity. Where you are lacking, become fervent in your mission to change. In the end, you will be eternally grateful you did.
My loving Lord, You showed us all that true love is selfless and sacrificial. You came to this world to serve and to give Your sacred life for us all. May I open my life more fully to Your love so that Your love may also affect and direct every relationship I have. Fill me with the gift of charity, dear Lord, so that I will be fully prepared for the day of my particular judgment. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday 21st Ordinary Time
It is very difficult for us to understand this parable. Why are ten virgins waiting outside for the bridegroom? Why do they need lamps? Even scholars are not sure. What is definite is that these virgins are not the brides. Our best guess is that they are more like bridesmaid; they are waiting to process the bridegroom into his feast.
Let us forget about the foolish virgins and consider two details about the wise virgins. First, they have flasks of oil with them. What do these flasks signify? We do not know. They are something extra, something beyond, but what they are is uncertain. After all the virgins fell asleep, they need what is in the flask. Perhaps it is prayer or study. The wise virgins had a stronger foundation of prayer and studying the Scriptures and the Catechism, so they were able to be ready when the time came.
The oil in the flask could also be a symbol of the Holy Spirit; oil often is used to symbolize the Holy Spirit. Then we would say that the light of faith burned out in those who were relying only on themselves for faith. The Holy Spirit is the only fuel for our faith that is sure to be there when we need it.
The second detail could be called holy selfishness. The wise virgins do not let the foolish virgins share what is in the flasks. There are many people in this world who would like to keep you from doing what you need to do to be ready for Christ, people who will complain that you are praying or studying or going to Mass when they need you for their own purposes. Do not let them prevent you from being prepared. Be selfish!
We do have human relationships which demand our time and effort. Failing to live up to them is not a holy thing. A mother who did not care for her children but spent all her time in prayer as if she were a nun would not be practicing true devotion. Nevertheless, our relationship with God comes first. We must not allow the world or anyone in the world to demand that we stop praying and studying, to demand that we give up whatever is in the flask that allows us to keep the fire burning. We must be selfish because we will not be able to do any good if we do not first seek God
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