Daily Catholic Lectio
Fri, 28 Aug 2026
XXI Week in Ordinary Time
Saint Augustine, Memorial
1 Cor 1:17-25. Mt 25:1-13
I Do Not Know You
Jesus presents the parable of the ten virgins, or the ten bridesmaids, as an image of the Kingdom of heaven. This is the final parable we find in Matthew’s Gospel. The background is a wedding celebration. In Jewish custom, marriage took place in two stages: first, the betrothal, and then the wedding. The wedding itself included the welcoming of the bride, the ceremony before the bridegroom’s parents, and a seven-day celebration.
Let us begin our reflection from the final sentence of the Gospel. The foolish bridesmaids return after buying oil and knock at the door. The bridegroom answers, “I do not know you.” This is a very strong rejection.
Now their lamps are burning. But the light is of no use. Even that light does not identify them to the bridegroom.
What does this parable say about the Kingdom of heaven? Some will be allowed to enter. Some will be refused entry. Those who are refused cannot enter. Therefore, readiness is very important.
The five bridesmaids are called foolish for three reasons.
First, they think from their own point of view, not from the point of view of the bridegroom. Their lamps are burning in their hands. So they think he will come before the lamps go out. In yesterday’s Gospel, the wicked servant says to himself, “My master is delayed.” These bridesmaids say to themselves, “The bridegroom will come soon.” Both thoughts become wrong.
Second, they ask their companions, “Give us some of your oil.” By doing this, they try to share the resources of the others and also risk emptying them. But in the Kingdom of heaven, the fruits of one’s actions belong to that person. Others cannot take a share in them.
Third, they go in the wrong direction. They do not go in the direction from which the bridegroom is coming. They go in the direction of the sellers. Their eyes are again on their lamps, not on the bridegroom. Therefore, the bridegroom does not see them. Perhaps, if they had gone toward the bridegroom, he might have shown mercy and said, “It is all right. Come.” He might have taken them with him.
Today let us ask whether we too make these three mistakes in our spiritual life.
What would it be like if Jesus said to us, “I do not know you”?
Many times, we say that we know Jesus. But does He know us? Does He know our voice? Does the light we carry identify us to Him? Or has our light become dim? Paul says to the Galatians, “You have come to know God, or rather, to be known by God.”
In the Gospel, we praise the prudence of the five wise bridesmaids. But in today’s first reading, Paul says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.” The cross of Christ looks foolish to the world, but it is the wisdom and power of God. Therefore, true readiness is not merely human planning. It is living close to Christ crucified.
Today we remember Saint Augustine. Even when the lamp in his hand had gone out, the Lord embraced him. He is a beautiful example that second chances are given in life. Augustine was in the darkness of Manichaeism. But in the light of Christ, he began to see God, the world, and human beings.
The parable warns us. Readiness is necessary. Borrowed oil will not save us. Wrong direction will not lead us to the feast. Appearance of light is not enough. We must be known by the Lord.
Let our lamps burn with faith. Let our eyes remain fixed on the Bridegroom. Let our life move toward Him. Then, when He comes, He will not say, “I do not know you.” He will say, “Come in.”
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A Yesni Prays Initiative
Yesu Karunanidhi 
Leave a comment