Wisdom “goes in search of those who are worthy of her”. She’s looking for us. We have a different commitment: to be ‘worthy of you’. And whoever is worthy is the one who: “watches because of him and will soon be without trouble” (v. 15). More than rushing to conquer wisdom, trusting in our resources, we must allow ourselves to be vigilant, ready to accept his gift. Worthy of wisdom are those who know how to watch for her; those who, we might add, recognise their poverty and their limit, do not close their eyes to them, but do not suffer them either; rather they live in the expectation of the one who will come to fill them with his goods, to forgive them with mercy. Such is the wisdom of the five wise virgins of the parable. It happens that the groom is late and the virgins, overwhelmed by tiredness, fall asleep. All ten give in to sleep. The five wise women, however, have taken their limit into account. They anticipated not being able to watch and found shelter, devising a remedy and obtaining enough oil, to be able to turn the lamps back on at the necessary time. This is the wisdom to which Jesus invites us: to recognize one’s weaknesses and prevent them, with humility and intelligence. And the oil to be guarded is the hope of encounter. No matter how long the wait is. What matters is that the oil of desire is not lacking.

Commentary by Comunità di Dumenza

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves, Prinknash Abbey