Orthodox Christian Holy Week — Bridegroom Matins for Holy Tuesday
And the Parable of the Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins
“I have prepared a lamp for my Christ.” ~The psalms of David
The Bridegroom Matins for Holy Tuesday follows the same rhythm of readings and chantings as the Holy Monday matins, but tonight we don’t have a procession since the icon of our Saviour Extreme Humility is already out, on the analogion, in the center of the church. All who enter make three prostrations and kiss our Saviour with love, humility, reverence, and gratitude, moved by Christ’s icon in which He is depicted so peacefully, even though the Cross is behind Him. In the Orthodox Christian services it is mentioned over and over that Christ’s Crucifixion, and all that He endured, was completely voluntary. There is never an emphasis on “blood and gore” but rather we recognize the reality — that being God He could have destroyed everyone with the breath of His mouth (see St. John 18:6), but instead, He endured the unthinkable in order to complete our rescue from the jaws of Hades and death.
What Adam and Eve (and often we) did not freely give to God — humble love, gratitude, and obedience — Christ now incarnates and offers in behalf of all of humanity. Not to “appease God’s wrath” because the Father, Son and Holy Spirit don’t differ in their approach to us, but rather to reinstate the relationship that we of our own free will turned away from in Paradise of old. Christ came to voluntarily break the contract with sin, the devil, and death as a human, as the new Adam, as only He, the God-man could, all while still honoring the gift of our free will.
The Gospel that is read this evening is St. Matthew 22:15–23:39.
Each evening this week has special themes. Tonight’s themes are the parable of the talents, and the parable about the wise and foolish virgins. These Gospel readings in St. Matthew occur tomorrow (Tuesday) during Vespers leading into Presanctified Liturgy, for those who are fortunate enough to live close enough to a church or monastic community doing these services. And for those who don’t, it is wonderful to have this book or the larger version, so as to be able to read and pray the beautiful Holy Week services from home as much as one is able.
The Parable of the Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins
When one first hears this parable it’s a bit hard to understand. Christ speaks about ten Virgins, five are wise and five are foolish. All of them have lamps….the wise have oil in their lamps and the foolish do not. While all are resting, it is announced that the Bridegroom is coming, come ye forth to meet Him. The Virgins with oil in their lamps immediately got up and trimmed their lamps. But the other Virgins, who had no oil in their lamps, were in darkness. They asked the wise virgins for their oil, but the reply was, basically, “We can’t, you have to go and buy your own.”
When we read this we may think “Well that wasn’t very nice…we’re supposed to share. But wait, this is God Himself telling the parable, and He’s the one Who commanded us to love our neighbor…so obviously there is a very precise message here.”
The foolish virgins went to try and buy oil at the last minute, and while they were away, the Bridegroom came as announced, the wise Virgins entered into the marriage, and the door was shut. By the time the foolish virgins got back, it was too late.
This is kind of a heavy parable…What is its meaning?
Thankfully, it is explained clearly by our holy Father St. Seraphim of Sarov (1759–1833) in his talk with Nikolai Motovilov, which is now known as A Wonderful Revelation to the World. (highly recommended)
St. Seraphim says:
“The market is our life; the door of the bridal chamber which was shut and which barred the way to the Bridegroom is human death; the wise and foolish virgins are Christian souls; the oil is not good deeds but the grace of the All-Holy Spirit of God which is obtained through them and which changes souls from one state to another — that is, from corruption to incorruption, from spiritual death to spiritual life, from darkness to light, from the stable of our being (where the passions are tied up like dumb animals and wild beasts) into a Temple of the Divinity, into the shining bridal chamber of eternal joy in Christ Jesus our Lord, the Creator and Redeemer and eternal Bridegroom of our souls.”
Orthodox Christianity is not based on “morality” as so many believe, but on transformation. “Good deeds” can be done for many reasons: for the praise of people, to promote a bad cause, to get something in return, to manipulate others…so clearly it is not just “being a good person” (as we so often hear and which can be so subjective) that fulfills what Christ has told us must happen in order for us to enter the Kingdom. St. Seraphim explains that the purpose of the Christian life is the acquisition of the All-Holy Spirit. Which is the same as saying that the purpose of our lives is the inner transformation that recreates God’s image in us. It is the re-acquiring of the Garment of Light lost in Eden. This is the Path we follow, the Path of Sanctification, so that we too may dwell with our Creator in Unwaning Light for Eternity.
It’s interesting that in Greek “oil” and “mercy” are the same word. Our Saviour says that the smallest act of love, even giving a cup of cold water to someone for the sake of the Gospel, is precious in His eyes. Mercy given in the spirit of eternal mercy fills our lamps with oil.
We can also see ourselves as the lamps, as the vessels containing light, and our goal is to be filled with Christ, Who is Light and Mercy incarnate.
In the Orthodox Christian understanding, it is not God Who turns people away, but rather our own choices throughout our lives create who we are and what we become. Those who “become light” through cleaving to Christ, naturally will enter the Marriage Feast of Light. If the “door is shut” to us, it is understood not as an exclusion based on some partiality, but rather our own inability to commune with the Light that keeps us from entering the Banquet.
The Garment of Light, which is the same as the oil in the lamps, or the Grace of the All-Holy Spirit, is acquired through true belief and hope in Christ, repentance, Holy Baptism, prayer, love and kindness and the thoughts and acts thereof, purity of body and soul and turning away from sin by God’s grace, spiritual reading, and partaking of the Holy Mysteries. Since we are weak, our first priority is to cry out to Christ “I have sinned — forgive me, help me, heal me, save me, come and dwell in me so that I am not left outside the Bridal Chamber.”
“I who have slumbered with slothfulness of soul, O Bridegroom Christ, do not possess a lamp aflame with virtues; and I am become like those foolish maidens, roaming about when it is time for work. Shut not up against me Thy bowels of compassion, O Master; but shaking off my gloomy sleep, rouse me up, and, with the wise Virgins, do Thou bring me into Thy bridal chamber, where there is the pure sound of them that keep festival and that cry without ceasing: O Lord, glory be to Thee.” (Praises Verse, Holy Tuesday Matins)
Next: Wednesday of Holy Week
