Two water birds looking in two directions! They represent two different outlooks. One bird is moving and the other is stationary. The bird which is moving finds its food by searching for it and the other bird flies in and out whenever there is any movement in the grass.
This reminds me of the parable of the ten virgins recorded in John: 25 1-13. Ten women set out to meet the bridegroom, five were 'foolish and five were prudent' (v.1). The bridegroom came at midnight and the women were sleeping. Five women needed oil to keep the lamps burning and they turned to the other five who had reserve oil. They refused lest they too would fall short of it. By the time the women, who had no reserve of oil fetched it from the market and returned the bride groom had come and the reception hall was shut.
It is a parable about the foolish and the prudent. But at another layer it is also a parable about life events. It is a story about unexpected events. At this time when 95,000 people were taken away from our midst following COVED 19, the readiness for unexpected events turns up as an important issue. There were at least three months for most nations since the infection was reported in China in December2019. Some countries underplayed it and delayed the corrective steps to contain the infection and its spread. A few countries took it seriously and undertook several measures to contain it. Those countries were able to save many lives.
There is a central message about the parable in verse 6. 'Now while the bridegroom was delaying they all got drowsy and began to sleep'.
Both the foolish and prudent virgins slept. The foolish slept even when they had no reserve of oil and the prudent could afford to sleep because they had reserve oil.
This is a parable with many existential ramifications. How much are we to be thoughtful about what awaits us.
To trace its context we need to turn to Luke 14:27 to listen to another discourse of Jesus. " Which one of you, when he wants build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate they cost, to see if he has enough to complete it!" The subsequent verses referred to what a king would do before preparing for war. The science of management has fully used the implications of this passage in the last forty years to legitimise a business model as an essential to live pragmatically.
Let me reflect further on this. This arises from another discourse of Jesus on the cure for anxiety in Mat:6.25-34. "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span"! The passage concluded by a statement, "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own"!
To be able to foresee our future without being driven by anxiety is what seems to emerge from these passages.
Foreseeing a few steps ahead is part of responsible living, because in the parable of the talents (Mat. 25:14-30), the two who traded to make their portions double received acknowledgement. It was an activity of being conscious of the responsibility to use skills and abilities till the master returned. The motive was to bring benefit to the master by trading the talents. It was a purposeful activity keeping the motive of benefit in favour of someone else. The one, who was given one talent kept it hidden till the master returned lost what he had and was severely reprimanded. While the two exercised their talents, waited and prepared for the retune of the master, one with one talent kept his attention on keeping his talent safe and lost sight of his master's return at which he has to give account of the talent given to him.
We are to live keeping our eyes fixed on God who holds our future. That is prudent living.
I was advised when I turned fifty five years, to have annual health check ups, regular physical exercises, regulate weight, monitor health parameters to keep them at the optimum level. I was faithful initially, but slipped and by the time I was ready to act on it, I was already a heart patient needing by-pass surgery. I was not responsible enough to myself and my family.
Anna and I were given a mission in 1983 to reach out to children with Neuro-developmentla needs. Now as we look back at what happened at Chennai, Nagpur, Vellore and Kolenchery to create facilities to help children, we feel grateful for what has been possible. But the truth is that, there were many occasions, when we felt disheartened and almost gave up. Those who cared for us provided us the hand holding we needed on those difficult situations, because of which we arrived where we are now. What our mentors and companions did to us was to turn our attention from difficulties to the calling to which we had responded!
To foresee and live prudently, we need co-pilgrims to keep a watch over us. It was not that the five virgins failed to keep a reserve of oil, but those who prepared them for the occasion had not prepared them for an unexpected event. As a group they failed each other and others also failed them.
If those who set out following Jesus of Nazareth become 'foolish', in the course of their journey, it is possible that the system of which they were part of, family, church, colleagues, mentors, etc too have their role for ending this way!.
We are not alone in this pilgrim journey; but if we are co-pilgrims with others, our attention towards each other is to help others to live prudently, but free of anxiety to the extent possible!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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