Fifth Sunday of the Holy Cross

ACT. SS 53 / 2025

Fifth Sunday of the Holy Cross

Matthew 25 : 1-13

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise”.

Jewish weddings were held in the house of the bride’s father. The virgins are young, unmarried girls, bridesmaids who are in the bride’s house waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. In this parable, Our Lord draws attention to the lamps of the bridesmaids to teach an important lesson to be alert. It is not enough to be “inside” the Kingdom of Christ, the Church: one must be on the watch and be preparing for Christ’s return by doing good works.

The Greek language offers us a very helpful insight: the word for mercy is έλεος which is etymologically connected to the word for olives ελιές. The oil of the olive was the fuel of the lamp in antiquity. Our Lord uses the oil of the lamps as symbol of the necessity to be always attentive with works of mercy; this is the fuel of our lamps.

The oil of mercy! May we have it in abundance! The oil of mercy in our families; the oil of mercy in our Church; the oil of mercy in our workplaces; in our schools and in our parishes. It is possible to run out of the oil of mercy! When we remember past hurts, when we constantly see ourselves as a victim, when we refuse to forgive others; this is how we can run out of oil.

“Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with charity, watch with good works (…) make ready the lamps, make sure they do not go out (…) renew them with inner oil of an upright conscience than shall the Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of his love and bring you into his banquet room, where your lamp can never be extinguished.” (St. Augustine, Sermons 93)
Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, that wise and prudent Virgin, the reservoir of Christ’s mercy, to have pity on us and make us all little bit more merciful to one another, and even to ourselves.

† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus