My dear friends in Christ, this weekend, we are celebrating the 32nd Sunday in ordinary time. As our liturgical year is coming to a close, the Holy Mother Church in her wisdom reminds usabout the second coming of Jesus, the need for us to prepare, to wait and be ever ready for his return. The ten virgins in today’s gospel represent Christian faithful sent to wait for and meet the bridegroom (Christ Jesus). As Christians, our hope is marked with the certainty of the Lord’s coming and the uncertainty of the hour of his arrival. This certainty of the Lord’s coming and the uncertainty of the hour are highlighted by the parable of the ten virgins in today’s gospel. It will be very interesting to inquire into the evangelist’s motive for using the term virgins to describe those waiting for the Lord. First of all, a virgin is one who is single, free from the bonds, joys, duties and distraction of the married sate. A virgin is one who possesses singleness of heart. And so, we may rightfully say that, the virgins are the most qualified to prepare and wait for the Lord. Secondly, they are most qualified because, their only major preoccupation is to adorn themselves in the best possible fashion in order to be found ready, waiting and pleasing to the Lord. As Christians, our life is portrayed as that of virgins, because, we are called to possess singleness of heart in Christ, ready with blazing lanterns and filled oil flasks at his coming. St. Mathew carefully states that the virgins are ten. The number ten is a symbol of totality, completion, universality, which refers to the whole body of believers. It means the whole body of the faithful wait for the Lord of history. That is the faith we profess each Sunday we come to celebrate the Sacred Liturgy. “He will come again to judge the living and the dead…”. Do we know the actual time? Not really! Do we know how long our expectation will last? Absolutely no! Again, this parable reminds us that the entire body of the faithful waiting for the Lord comprises both wise and foolish members. While the wise virgins took their lamps with reserves of oil, the foolish virgins did not. The lamp symbolizes faith and the flasks of oil symbolizes good works. Good works keep the light of faith aglow. Without the oil of good works, the lamp will go out. Faith and good work go together, they move hand in hand, because faith without action is dead. That was the problem the foolish virgins have, they have faith, but their faith is devoid of good work. Hence, the wise virgins have faith and their faith has good work. They were wise because they not only understood the need to wait for the bridegroom, but also how best to do so. Our Lord says: “stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour. And so, for us to stay awake we need wisdom. The first reading tells us that wisdom is radiant and unfading…easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. Wisdom seeks, meets and takes possession of those who are ready for her. It is exactly what the wise virgins did. They prepared, and waited to meet the bridegroom. This wisdom is what St. Paul explains that all true wisdom is found in Christ Jesus (cf. Colossians 2:3). To know him, to love him, is the way of wisdom. Finally, today’s gospel called us for personal reflection, self-examinations and the need to assume responsibility of our faith journey. We need to be directly involved in the efforts, pains and sacrifices to prepare, wait for and meet the Lord of the history. Being a virgin or chaste is not enough or a direct ticket to the kingdom of heaven. It demands responsibility of authentic Christian life. A virgin who is unforgiving, uncaring and uncharitable is not worthy of the kingdom of heaven. We are warned to be vigilant at all time since we do not know the time and hour it is going to happen.