Sept. 7 Will Be a Day of Prayer

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Today I am reflecting on the parable Jesus told of the 10 bridesmaids “who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” Five of them were wise and brought along flasks of oil; five were foolish and didn’t bring extra oil for their lamps. Because the bridegroom was delayed, the maidens fell asleep. When finally he came, the lamps were going out, so the foolish bridesmaids asked the wise for some oil but were refused.

For many years I wondered why, before they fell asleep, the foolish maidens didn’t douse their lamps to conserve the oil. I also wondered why, once the oil did run out, they couldn’t just walk along with the wise – surely the five lit lamps would be sufficient illumination for all?

Not until recently did I hear exegesis answering both of these questions. Having oil is a symbol for being prepared; in this case, Jesus is reminding his disciples that we must be prepared to be a light for the world. We can neither douse our light nor hide it under a bushel basket – we must let it shine.

For our light to shine, however, we must obtain proper spiritual fuel, and no one can do this for us. We can’t light our lamps with someone else’s spirituality, and we can’t greet Christ in the aura of another’s flame. Each of us must do our own work in the vineyard to prepare ourselves for the hour of the return of the Son of Man. We need to do this in advance of his coming; there won’t be time once he arrives, as the parable makes clear.

How do we prepare? Jesus tells us that we prepare through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, by giving food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, by welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, visiting those in prison.

Reflection on the parable of the 10 bridesmaids is spiritual preparation for me for the day of prayer called for by Bishop Solis. The intention for the day is remembering the victims of sexual abuse by clergy, but I am struggling to reconcile myself to the need to participate. My difficulty with the day is not with its cause. There is no doubt that we should pray for the victims and their families. My anger arises from the fact that these prayers are needed. Some part of me – I hope it is only a small part, but it has a very loud voice – wants to close my eyes to this, to protest that I was not party to it, to object that it’s only a small fraction of what’s happening in our church, and doesn’t all the good we do overcome the ugliness?

Of course the answer to that question is no. I cannot, even in my personal life, sweep the scandal under the rug. To do so would be to become complicit in the ignominious silence that for too long surrounded the crimes. I must, no matter how difficult it is, acknowledge this failure of my church. I read interviews with victims and members of their families, and I want to cry to the heavens for vengeance but also beg for healing and forgiveness.

It is because these prayers are needed that on Sept. 7 I will spend at least an hour in prayer for the victims and their families. I must do this to atone for the sins of the Church, of which I am a member; as difficult as it is I must publicly acknowledge that the light of our Church has guttered. One way that flame can be strengthened is prayer. I must add my prayer to that of others; I cannot depend on their efforts to carry me through this dark hour. This is not the time to celebrate the good and the glorious of the Church. For now, and especially on Sept. 7, I will kneel and pray for healing for the victims and their families. I will beg their forgiveness. Then I will ask the Lord to show our bishops the way forward into a future where the light of the Church will prevent such scandal from ever stretching forth again.

Marie Mischel is editor of the Intermountain Catholic.