Daily Retreat 09/1/06
2006 Sep 1 Fri: Ordinary Weekday
1 Cor 1: 17-25/ Ps 32(33): 1-2. 4-5. 10-11/ Mt 25: 1-13
From today’s readings: “For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.... The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.... ”
Puzzling Parables
Parables are, by their nature, allegorical, and not meant to be interpreted literally. Furthermore, the central point is often supported by casual details that are not intended to be scrutinized for objections.
So, for example, the parable of the ten virgins (which, incidentally, only occurs in Matthew), emphasizes the need to be vigilant for the coming of Christ, the Bridegroom. Certain elements of the parable appear awkward and out-of-place, even in the context of an ancient Jewish wedding. First of all, there is curiously no mention of the bride! There was a custom for the bride to be escorted by her bridesmaids in a torchlight procession to the home of the groom, but that’s not exactly what is described here.
We also note that both the foolish and wise maidens fell asleep, although at the end, Jesus emphasizes that the moral is to “stay awake.” Also, the wise virgins come across as selfish for refusing to share their oil, and their suggestion for the others to buy some would have been impractical at that late hour. Finally, the groom’s reply to the foolish virgins locked out is cruelly cold-hearted.
But all those disconcerting details don’t detract from the parable’s point; rather, their intrinsic improbability helps the listeners and readers to ignore them as inconsequential, precisely in order to focus more on the central theme! Similarly, a painter might purposely portray a fuzzy, incongruent background in order to introduced some contrast with the sharp lifelike details of the picture’s subject. Just as the blurred background thus enhances the portrait, so the maladroit particulars of the parable cleverly make it more memorable.
1 Cor 1: 17-25/ Ps 32(33): 1-2. 4-5. 10-11/ Mt 25: 1-13
From today’s readings: “For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.... The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.... ”
Puzzling Parables
Parables are, by their nature, allegorical, and not meant to be interpreted literally. Furthermore, the central point is often supported by casual details that are not intended to be scrutinized for objections.
So, for example, the parable of the ten virgins (which, incidentally, only occurs in Matthew), emphasizes the need to be vigilant for the coming of Christ, the Bridegroom. Certain elements of the parable appear awkward and out-of-place, even in the context of an ancient Jewish wedding. First of all, there is curiously no mention of the bride! There was a custom for the bride to be escorted by her bridesmaids in a torchlight procession to the home of the groom, but that’s not exactly what is described here.
We also note that both the foolish and wise maidens fell asleep, although at the end, Jesus emphasizes that the moral is to “stay awake.” Also, the wise virgins come across as selfish for refusing to share their oil, and their suggestion for the others to buy some would have been impractical at that late hour. Finally, the groom’s reply to the foolish virgins locked out is cruelly cold-hearted.
But all those disconcerting details don’t detract from the parable’s point; rather, their intrinsic improbability helps the listeners and readers to ignore them as inconsequential, precisely in order to focus more on the central theme! Similarly, a painter might purposely portray a fuzzy, incongruent background in order to introduced some contrast with the sharp lifelike details of the picture’s subject. Just as the blurred background thus enhances the portrait, so the maladroit particulars of the parable cleverly make it more memorable.
posted by FrPitstick | 8/31/2006
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