new church life: jan uary/february 2015
attend church and enjoy thinking about the truths of faith.
But it is interesting that even though all the lamps were in working order,
five of them still failed. They didn’t provide the light they were designed to
shed for the wedding feast. And so for us, the virgins with lamps without fuel
represent those times when we simply don’t have the spiritual resources to
thrive in difficult times. The teachings for our church state that the oil required
by the lamps represents the good of charity and love that is required to be
present with the truths of faith. (Arcana Coelestia 4638)
Essentially the parable is saying that the reason the virgins with no reserves
of oil were rejected as foolish is that their thoughts and the understanding they
had developed from the Word and through the church had no connection with
the desire to apply those truths to benefit others. Without that commitment to
life, the truths themselves yield no light. The truths are then empty and devoid
of spiritual life. If the lamp of one’s understanding doesn’t burn that means the
truths are unable to shed any spiritual light for one’s life.
So why was it not possible for the virgins with the oil to share what they
had with the ones in need? The reason is that the Lord alone is the one true
spiritual source of love and life. This is something that the Lord shares directly
with people through a one-on-one immediate relationship with Him.
A person becomes spiritual in the degree that he or she learns to turn
to the Lord to receive that life. In essence the choice to turn to the Lord with
the effort to use truths for the benefit of others is what makes a person truly
human. Essentially, no one can make that choice for us. No one can provide
that life for us other than the Lord Himself.
In the story, to purchase oil for the lamps is a directive to us, in times of
spiritual abundance, to commit to using these truths to share the Lord’s love
with others. Acting on the truths of faith when we are well prepares us to be
able to act when times are tough. But how? How does a commitment to live
according to the truth when we are experiencing times of plenty carry over
and help us when we are in need?
Here the Writings offer some uniquely precious truths and teach us that
there is more to it than a simple matter of developing good habits. We are
taught that there are special affections that the Lord plants deep within us that
are critical for carrying us through these hard times where we would otherwise
feel spiritually empty.
These affections are given to us by the Lord and are distinguished by their
being uniquely receptive of the Lord’s Divine life. We are taught that these
affections are planted so deeply within us that they are not able to be harmed
by the ups and downs of our lives, nor by the negativity that assaults us when
we are struggling in temptation. They are said to be the basis of what makes us
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