Clergy Notes — November 8, 2026
In the time of Jesus, weddings were often marked by a group of young women holding torches to light the way of the bridegroom arriving at the home of the bride. As no one actually knew when the groom would arrive, the women needed to be prepared. When the groom did arrive, the doors would be closed. In today’s narrative, the ten women fell asleep (because the groom was very late); some were prepared by having extra oil to bring their torches alight, and some were unprepared and ran out of oil.
It seems to me that as followers of Christ we are tempted to immediately identify with the wise bridesmaids who were prepared, rather than the foolish who were not!
It is always helpful to remember that parables are not real events, but a device used by Jesus to explain ways of living to his hearers. When we re-examine these ideas two thousand years later, we don’t know what Jesus meant and can only seek to give meaning to these concepts for our own times. So here goes…
We can be as prepared as we want for every aspect of life, but we still have to be ready for the unexpected. Some friends come by without warning. The job we hoped for doesn’t come to fruition. A meal prepared for loved ones that doesn’t satisfy our expectations.
So even if we think we are ready for any eventuality, we also need to be prepared for delays and changes to our plans. In life with Christ, we do well to pray and worship with our community. At the same time, we also need to be able to roll with the punches and ensure that whatever happens to us, we can adapt and continue to move forward. No person has a life free of worries or distractions. No one can ever be truly prepared for the unexpected that happens. However, we can put our trust in God and seek the support of others, especially those we love and those with whom we worship.
The bridesmaids: some were prepared, others were not. Perhaps our aim might be to be prepared, but always to be ready and willing to adapt when the unexpected happens.
Fr. Stephen Rowe