DAILY HOMILIES #oil

Some Christians hold onto the false doctrine of “once saved, forever saved.” If you think that because you are baptised and confirmed or because you were close to God in the past, you no longer need to make efforts to be good, you are making a serious mistake. Perhaps this was the mistake of the scribes and Pharisees who refused to practice what they preached. Do not relax spiritually. Instead, work out your salvation in fear and trembling. (Cf. Psalm 2:8)

Avoid envy; no one is better than you. Avoid pride; you are not better than anyone else. We are just different. So mind your business – show concern about others but avoid comparing your life to that of anyone. You are unique. Even if it is only one talent that you have, nurture it. Remember that talent is never enough. You must develop it like gold that must be polished and purified to shine.

In this parable, the foolish virgins took the one thing necessary: a bottle of oil for granted. They assumed the oil in their lamps would be enough. Sometimes, we behave like foolish virgins. We assume our parents’ spirituality is enough to get us into heaven. Some Christians assume the penny catechism classes they attended growing up are enough. Some have never read their bibles; they feel they are good to go since they were taught Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) in school.

To be wise in the spiritual sense is to trust little in your wealth, your current status, your education, your connections, and even your present devotional practices. To be wise is to have a backup; something extra, something to hold on to should everything else fail. To be wise is to have some extra oil. What is that extra oil? It is, in the words of St. Paul in today’s first reading THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS.