The Kingdom of God cannot be seen with the natural eye nor understood with the natural mind. It is all around us and even within us, yet it is hidden and will remain so until its King returns to earth. The life of faith, then, is a life spent in waiting. And only those who expect and accept such waiting will persevere to the end. Jesus once told of ten maidens left waiting for the start of a wedding celebration due to the delayed arrival of the groom. Five of the maidens brought extra oil for their lamps in anticipation of a long wait. The five others did not. When the groom finally arrived, only the five with extra oil were ready for him. These five were not particularly kind maidens, refusing to share their oil with the others. And they weren't even particularly resilient, having fallen asleep during the wait, just like the rest. What distinguished them from the others was only that they came ready for a long wait. When the wait was over, the five empty-handed maidens scurried off in search of an all-hours oil shop, while the five with oil in hand were there to receive the groom in gladness and go inside to the feast.
The Kingdom of God cannot be seen with the natural eye nor understood with the natural mind. It is all around us and even within us, yet it is hidden and will remain so until its King returns to earth. The life of faith, then, is a life spent in waiting. And only those who expect and accept such waiting will persevere to the end. Jesus once told of ten maidens left waiting for the start of a wedding celebration due to the delayed arrival of the groom. Five of the maidens brought extra oil for their lamps in anticipation of a long wait. The five others did not. When the groom finally arrived, only the five with extra oil were ready for him. These five were not particularly kind maidens, refusing to share their oil with the others. And they weren't even particularly resilient, having fallen asleep during the wait, just like the rest. What distinguished them from the others was only that they came ready for a long wait. When the wait was over, the five empty-handed maidens scurried off in search of an all-hours oil shop, while the five with oil in hand were there to receive the groom in gladness and go inside to the feast.