A reflection on the 5 foolish virgins: I was terrified!

A real-life incident that terrified me sparked this reflection on the 5 foolish virgins!

Some of us experience incidents that are terrifying beyond belief, where our logic fails and our understanding is of no use. We are paralyzed, and the adrenaline rush simply can’t propel us forward. This is the terror that I experienced when I momentarily lost my son inside a hotel, when he was less than three years old. Time stood still. I could not breathe, I could not move.

We found him 3 minutes later, but I promise you that those 3 minutes felt much longer than 180 seconds.

They felt like an eternity!

I had never experienced such a profound fear before that day and I hoped never to experience it again.

And then I did.

Last Wednesday.

When a Biblical parable comes to life:

I had a confession appointment at 7:15 pm. I normally arrive a few minutes before my appointment and wait for my father of confession to usher me in. But when I arrived at the church, the door was locked. It was getting dark, and it was bitterly cold. I could see through the office window that my father of confession had left his belongings on his desk, a clear sign he was inside Church. I started knocking on the door, but there was no answer. So, I knocked harder. But there still was no answer. I then called his mobile phone, hoping he would answer it, but he did not.

At that moment, I remembered the parable of the 5 foolish virgins. And I was terrified.

Here is the excerpt:

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;^[a] go out to meet him!’ ⁷Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

¹¹“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹²But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

¹³“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour^[b] in which the Son of Man is coming.

My father of confession arrived soon thereafter and opened the door. I waited long enough to reflect on the feeling I had just experienced. While we all learned this parable, at some point or another, in Sunday School, this was when the parable came to life and the fear reminded me of how terrified I had been when my son went missing.

Imagine (I would rather not, actually) the day when we will be held accountable.

What if that day was tomorrow? Or tonight?

What if my time was right in this instance, and I did not even get to finish this post?

Am I ready to meet my Lord?

Allow me to ask myself again:

Am I ready?

Now, more than ever, I fervently repeat this prayer:

O our Lord Jesus Christ, who carries the sin of the world, count us with Your sheep, those who are to Your right. And when You come again, in Your second fearful appearance, may we never fearfully hear you say I do not know you. But rather may we be made worthy, to hear the voice full of joy, of Your tender mercies, proclaiming and saying. “Come unto Me, O blessed of My Father, and inherit the life, that endures forever.”

In Christ,

Mireille

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