Today's Gospel concerns a group of bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom to come and whether or not they will be prepared. Five are pretty sure that the bridegroom will show up when expected and so do the least they need to do and the other five decide that something may come up and want to be prepared just in case.
What about ourselves? Whether you are sick or healthy today, you don't know what tomorrow brings.
I remember when my father was ill. He would enter the hospital, then somehow rally and be sent home. When this happens more than once, it is easy to be lulled into a sense of false security and believe that he would always rally. That kind of thinking can make it harder when the final day comes.
My son rarely had a sick day in his life and yet was cut off while riding his motorcycle and was dead before he even had a chance to be afraid. It has always been my hope that both were wise and had lived their lives prepared to meet the bridegroom when he came.
Old or young, healthy or sick, we all need to live as if each day were our last. We can't wait to turn our lives towards God, to be compassionate toward others, to pray, to forgive, to let people know that we care. We must be like the wise virgins who kept their lamps full because they did not know the hour in which they would be invited to join the celebration.
