Making Sure Our Lamps Don’t Go Out
I came across an intriguing story told by a monk who lived many hundreds of years ago:
A middle-aged woman went to a distant monastery for her first weekend retreat in many years. When she arrived at the guest house one of the monks approached her and surprised her with a brusque question, “Why not?”
“That was the first thing he said,” she relates. “He had never seen me before. I hadn’t even said a word. ‘Why not?’” he questioned. “I knew he had me. After all, he was the retreat master.”
“I brought up excuses: It was a long trip…I’m tired…the kids…the people I have to work with…not enough time…I guess it’s my temperament.”
The retreat master took a long sword off the wall and gave it to the woman. “Here, with this sword, you can cut through any barriers you have.” She took the sword and slipped away without saying another word.
Back in her room, alone, she sat down and kept looking at that sword. She knew that what he said was true. She murmured, “How can I live without my excuses?”
With the story Jesus tells, we are invited to use the gift of time wisely, to be prepared, to think ahead, and to make sure we have what we need to successfully complete our journey through this life. Jesus says, “Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Think ahead, and make sure you have enough oil for your lamps.
How do we use time, which is a precious gift? It’s so easy to waste time, to spend it on things that really are unimportant, to worry about it, to have good intentions but not follow through, to use it only for ourselves…how do we use time?
Our Gospel readings during the past few weeks have been building, one after another. Remember, when Jesus was asked what is the greatest of all commandments, he boiled it all down to love—love of God above all else; and love of neighbor as yourself. Love is the oil that keeps our lamps burning brightly, that enables us to bring light to our world.
As daylight becomes shorter at this time of year, it reminds me that there is a lot of darkness in our world—plenty to pray about, plenty to do something about. Many people are caught up in wars raging in various parts of the world. Many live in dire poverty. There is an epidemic of loneliness. Some are dealing with serious illness or relational problems. We can’t change the world, but we can notice those in our own community who lack the basic necessities. I’m so proud of all that our parish is doing…bringing in food for Community Meals and MCSM, providing backpacks and school supplies for area children, donating winter clothing to help keep our neighbors warm. In doing these things, we are building up the Kingdom of God on this earth, we are adding to the light shining in the darkness, giving hope, showing that someone cares, using our time wisely—in short, being prepared for the Lord’s coming, rather than constantly making excuses, replenishing the oil in our lamps, always ready for whatever love requires.
As we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist, week after week, we reflect on the wisdom that the Scripture readings offer, and we receive nourishment from our loving God. That’s how we make sure that we don’t run out of life-giving light for the darkness in our world.