A: 32nd Sun of OrdTime (12 Nov 2017) - BEING WISE THE RIGHT WAY - Mt 25:1-13

“Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” (Mt 25:2)

We hear of the story of the ten virgins who were waiting for the coming of the bridegroom. The setting is probably the part of the Jewish wedding where the groom brings to his homeland the bride he just fetched from her family’s house. Because of many travel hazards at that time, their arrival could not be predicted to the dot. Hence, the lamp-bearers had to keep vigil to be ready at any moment for their coming. However, keeping vigil means exposing the wick of the lamps to the coldness of the night, requiring extra oil to rekindle it at the advent of the entourage. The foolish ones were not able to bring extra, while the wise ones did. The episode ends with the former being denied entry to the banquet hall, while the latter were warmly welcomed in.

Obviously, being prepared is an attribute of being wise, and Jesus in our gospel commends the wise virgins. But how do we actually become wise? By bringing extra oil. Oil is used in the Bible to allegorize two main ministries: healing of the sick (e.g., Mk 6:13, Lk 10:34, Jas 5:14) and anointing of leaders (e.g., Ex 29:7, 1 Kgs 1:39). To relate to these functions, the Church uses 3 kinds of oil: the Oil of the Sick used in the Anointing of the Sick, the Oil of the Cathecumens for the Sacraments of Initiation, and the Holy Chrism Oil for the Ordination Rites and also in the Sacraments of Initiation.

In the Philippine context, the word “initiation” is popularly associated with fraternities and sororities, where neophytes are introduced into a group through an enigmatic rite of passage. Unfortunately, in some cases violent acts or the so-called “hazing” are performed on them by senior members in order to test their loyalty to the new group. But even more unfortunate is the death of the aspirant during this ordeal. Recently, Horacio “Atio” Castillo III allegedly died last September 17, 2017 because of this when he submitted himself to the initiation rites of the Aegis Juris fraternity.

Our question is why are these lethal acts continuously done? And why would neophytes continue to endanger their lives when history would attest that nobody is 100% sure of surviving? The obvious answer is they are just being “wise”… finishing this test will boost their careers to better heights, assistance on their BAR exams, job-assurance when they graduate, protection from “higher ups”, to name a few. This I think is a wrong use of wisdom. But an even worse one is despite the existence of Republic Act 8049 or Anti-Hazing Law in 1995, at least 25 other related deaths are recorded in Philippine history, yet only one accused from these cases was convicted (see: http://www.philstar.com/news-feature/2017/10/25/1344288/history-hazing-deaths-philippines). This would mean that our supposed wise men in the litigation and judicial process are not actually wise at all, or are being wise in the wrong way, protecting some “untouchables” from being imprisoned.

The Greek word used for “wise” is “phronimos” which in the Old Testament is used to describe the intelligence of Joseph in governing Egypt in Gen 41:39 and the wisdom of Solomon in making judgments in 1 Kings 4:30. However, the same word is used to describe the astuteness of the serpent in deceiving Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in Gen 3:1. Indeed, wisdom can also mean shrewdness as we see also in the person of the dishonest manager in Lk 16:8.

When our gospel calls us to be like the wise virgins, we are asked to outsmart the shrewd and dishonest people of this world. This means being vigilant in guarding our nation against false “wise men” who manipulate the judicial system and the general public. It also reminds us to have always an extra oil, so that even in the dormant times when there are no celebrated political issues at hand, we are always on the guard against any abuses and injustice... even if they would happen “at midnight” (Mt 25:6).

- Rex Fortes, CM