1. Second Coming can be participated in now
Link (from Rev-o-lution)
"Again, this “Day of the Lord,” this “Second Coming of Christ” may not be a specific moment, but rather something that is continuing to unfold before us. Christ is entering our lives in a new way, as we understand grater our global community, our family of God, our responsibility to be good stewards of creation, and the way systemic sin corrupts our relationship with each other and with the earth. Christ is coming again. Christ is doing something new in our lives now. We don’t have to wait until an “end time.” We can participate now. Keep awake. Be alert. Don’t worry about putting out a “religious face” to the world, that you need to fit in with a particular religious-social-cultural-political identity. Follow God. Don’t be religious but do what your religion teaches you. Be prepared for Christ to enter your life in a new way, and know that you will not be the same. You will be compelled to build up the reign of Christ on earth, if you are truly ready, alert for your opportunity to participate."
Another thought along the same path "The parousia becomes not a one-time event at some "end point" but rather a continuous event that involves us, the community of Christ, in our baptismal vocation: living in the light of the cross, in mercy not judgment. The feast to which we are invited is– the Lord’s Supper. The parousia is now not about a far-off event but Christ’s continual presence with us through all of our waiting"
2. Preparation now in the "long haul of day-to-day life"
Link "It is not mere decor that the lamps are prominently featured in the parable. Light is a serious thing in the bible. Light signifies knowledge, truth, awareness, discipleship. The “good” bridesmaids, have their lamps lit. Moreover, they have prepared for a possible delay in the Bridegroom’s return, but securing additional oil. The “bad” bridemaids, on the other hand, did not prepare for a delay. They were sure that the Bridegroom would arrive quickly, and therefore they bought no additional oil. Their oil (faith) was waning, and had gone out.
"Even the good bridesmaids found the delay much longer than they expected. They “drowsed”. Yet, that did not keep them from being prepared that this might happen. They trimmed their wicks and had the oil ready when the Bridegroom’s arrival was announced.
"We are, most of us, pretty good at preparing for the end game. We save money to put our kids through college, we save money for new homes. We invest in 401k’s for our retirement.
"But we are not so good “preparing” for the long haul of day-to-day life. We put off the diet, the volunteer work, the relationship work. We are sure there will be “time”. We assume there is “time” to take care of the environment, to address our economic inequalities. We assume that we will get to that “stuff” before we are called upon to answer for our lives.
"Jesus instructs us, that the penalties for delay can be most harsh. While we are welcomed with great compassion to turn to God until the last moment, there comes a time, when time has run out. And justice will be meted out at that time.
"The lesson seems to be, at least to me, that readiness means more than belief in the end times. It means more than confessing that Jesus is our hope. It entails more. It requires that we live our lives in practicing the Kingdom each day, aware that we truly don’t know the hour of the Master’s return, and that the penalty for “putting off” our obligations to the mission can be dire indeed.
"Not a one of us wishes to hear: “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.”
3. Too easy to focus on end times and forget the present
"As we wait for the return of Jesus and the fulfillment of all things, how are we to live? Like the five wise bridesmaids, how can we be prepared? It may be true of every age, but today we’re tempted to be preoccupied with the end times, to read the countless novels about the end times, to look for signs that the end is near, and perhaps to neglect care for the earth or good stewardship for future generations, if we believe that Jesus is about to return any day now. Ironically, we can be so busy reading novels and looking for signs that we miss the ways God is still speaking to us today, in this meantime. We might not do God’s will, working for the healing of the world, caring for the good earth we were given, offering our own gifts in the transformation of an unjust society, reaching out in compassion to a world that is physically and spiritually hungry. However much we may fear a dramatic end time, our faith reminds us of how often the Bible says, "Do not fear," and then challenges us to work here, on earth, for the bright day of God’s reign in its fullness, which is glimpsed in every act, every moment of compassion, sharing, and justice. Even as we trust that we will be with God one day, in glory, we taste the sweet goodness of generosity and love right here, right now, through ministries of sharing the abundance with which we are blessed in the life of the church. "In the meantime," we are ready to shine with love, and justice, and joy. "
4. "We are… those who help each other to wait, prepare, and keep the faith. "
David Lose
"We are well acquainted with waiting. Whether what we are waiting for is good or bad hardly matters, the anxiety and stress of the living in the “in-between time” of waiting can be difficult. And this parable reminds us that we are not alone in our waiting. From the earliest Christians on, we have confessed that waiting can be most difficult. Moreover, Jesus tells this parable in his own “in-between time,” his own time of waiting. This parable is set between Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his trial and crucifixion. And one thing Matthew and all the Evangelists agree on is that Jesus knew what was coming. And so here he is, teaching the crowds, facing off with his opponents, and instructing his disciples…even as he waits for the coming cross. Jesus, too, knows how difficult waiting can be and is with us and for us in our waiting.
"Let’s admit that waiting for Jesus’ imminent return is difficult for most of us to entertain. But let’s also recognize that opportunities for waiting on Jesus’ presence are all around us. Each time we work for justice (as Amos invites in the first reading), we testify to the presence of Jesus. Each time we bear each other’s burdens, we testify to Jesus’ presence. Each time we advocate for the poor, or reach out to the friendless, or work to make this world God loves a better place, we testify to the presence of the Risen Christ.
"Finally, let’s also admit that even this kind of waiting and preparation can be hard to sustain. That we can grow weary in our work, frustrated by the lack of outcomes we see, or distracted by the thousand and one other obligations that fill each of our lives. In short, let’s admit that on any given day, each of us may discover we are a foolish bridesmaid. Given this reality, let’s reclaim church as a place where we can find help and support in our waiting – all kinds of waiting! – and support as we try to live our Christian life. I find it striking that Paul closes this part of his letter to those first-century Thessalonians that found their own waiting nearly intolerable with these words, “Therefore, encourage one another….”
"Yes, that is our role as the church. We are those who wait for each other – wise and foolish alike. We are those who sit vigil for each other at times of pain, loss or bereavement. We are those who celebrate achievements and console after disappointment. We are those who give hope when hope is scarce, comfort when it is needed, and courage when we are afraid. We are, in short, those who help each other to wait, prepare, and keep the faith. In all these ways, we encourage each other with the promises of Christ. That’s what it means to be Christ’s followers, then and now. And that’s why we come together each Sunday, to hear and share the hope-creating promises of our Lord.
5. "Be prudent. Slow down. Go deeper. Love the darkness. Expect delays."
Suzanne Guthrie
"When I click on a website, or Facebook, or an email, or Wikipedia, or the Times online, I expect an immediate response. If I’ve been clicking around for a few hours, I notice that life offline is a bit clumsy. I get up from my desk and it actually takes a couple of minutes to boil water for tea, and the toaster seems to taunt me, biding its time. I’m frustrated that the doctor’s office takes a day or two to call back with results from a test. Only when I work in the garden do I settle down again, letting time take its own time, through years, through seasons; the cycle of new blades, and buds, and blossoms, and seeds unfolding at just the right time, nourished from the dark secret life underground.
"The difference between the wise and foolish maidens was that the wise ones allowed for the possibility that the bridegroom would come in his own time. They prepared for a long wait, looking forward to the thrilling moment when all his friends would create a luminous pageant to greet the new couple. The women knew the wait was worth the love they would be allowed to show when the Bridegroom came with his bride.
"I am both the prepared and unprepared maiden sleeping on the steps. When I am wise, my disposition is more like a gardener who knows that winter’s dark delay is not only necessary but rewarded. When I am foolish, I expect an immediate response to my desire and miss the slow-motion reality of the eternal present in which dark and light are one.
"And so I am continually like a child learning to tell time again. Be prudent. Slow down. Go deeper. Love the darkness. Expect delays.