“I thought you brought the ….” Everyone has heard those words at some point. It is the sudden awareness that something important was left behind because everyone involved thought someone else had taken the missing object. Sometimes such oversight is the result of the rush to get to a destination. Sometimes it is the result of carelessness or laziness. Whatever the reason, the cause is lack of preparation. Jesus was not concerned about bridesmaids not having enough oil. He was using the story to teach the Israelites to prepare for the time when they would be before God to explain whether or not they had loved him with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength, and loved their neighbor as themselves. Jesus is also trying to prepare us to stand before God to make that same accounting. We have the advantage of the sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the counsel of clergy who can help us examine our lives and discern how we can do better. Do we avail ourselves of the sacraments and counsel?
