1 Cor 1:17-25 / Matthew 25:1-13
To be late for an appointment is rather careless, to say the least. To be late could mean that we don't really take care to be early for the appointment, or at least to be there on time.
And it may also mean that we don't take much into consideration how the other party feels about having to wait for us if we are late through our own fault.
More so if we have an appointment with someone of importance. All the more we will want to make sure that we will be ready and early for the appointment.
In the gospel parable, it was the bridegroom who was late. But it was the duty of the ten bridesmaids to wait for him.
The wise ones were careful to be prepared with extra oil for their lamps. The foolish and careless ones didn't consider the unexpected circumstance that the bridegroom would be late.
So to be wise is to be careful and to be ready for the unexpected. To be foolish is to be careless and not be bothered about unexpected situations. But whether wise or foolish, there are consequences for better or for worse, as the gospel parable tells us.
But to wise is not just about being careful and ready for whatever situations.
As St. Paul puts it in the 1st reading, wisdom is about understanding the cross as God's power to save.
The cross may look like foolishness, to the Jews an obstacle they cannot get over, to the Greeks madness, but to those who are called to faith, it is the power and wisdom of God.
It is not too late for us to understand the meaning of the cross, the power and wisdom that God grants through it, so that we will be careful and ready to meet the challenges of life.