Fifth Discourse in Matthew: The Kingdom is like...

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. ~ Matthew 25:1-13

The sin of inadvertence, not being alert, not quite awake, is the sin of missing the moment of life - live with unremitting alertness. ~ Joseph Campbell

Have you ever missed a moment?

 Something you later regretted deeply?

 Maybe you fell asleep. Maybe you got distracted. Maybe you shrugged it off as not important.

 This text from Jesus is often used to remind us to be "ready for the end-times."

 But there's a lot we might miss out on before then.

 A lot of life we might miss out on before we worry about death.

 Only a chapter later in Matthew, Jesus will be in Gethsemane, where he will beg his disciples to stay awake with him. But they will fall asleep - twice - on him. He will have to wake them up to see him arrested and taken away.

 How could they have known that those moments would have been the last they would have with him together before his death? They slept and they missed out on that precious time.

 What are the moments you want to make sure you don't miss?
Mediation: Here is a short mindfulness meditation to help you be alert and in the present: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJGgpfx01KE

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