"Re-lighten, O Lord,Our Lamps .......

A LENTEN PILGRIMAGE Rev.Fr.K M George - Light

It is a familiar sight in Hindu temple festivals in India where traditionally dressed women wait with lighted oil lamps to receive the image of a god or goddess taken out in procession.

 A similar reception by young girls with flowers sometimes takes place when important personalities are received at social functions. It happens not infrequently that the arrival of the personalities gets delayed, and some of the waiting young girls get tired, faint or become sleepy and lose their lamps and flowers. 

This reminds us of the well-known parable of the Ten Virgins told by Jesus (Matthew 25:1-13). 

It is one of the favourite Lenten themes. Christian art especially in the West is deeply influenced by this parable of great aesthetic and spiritual significance.

The contrast between the vigilant preparedness of the five wise virgins and the lazy sleepiness of the five foolish virgins illustrates the contrast between those who eagerly wait for the Lord and those who are indifferent to the goal of life. The parable clearly points to the end of history and the end of our life when we face the final judgment of God. 
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."(Mathew 25:13) 

The Lent is symbolically the span of our life which is a time of vigilance and readiness to receive the bridegroom, and enter the chamber of lights with Him to participate in the everlasting wedding celebration. The vigil, the state of wakefulness, is an essential part of Lenten fasting.

 This does not always mean that we literally deprive ourselves of sleep, but that we take care of our internal awareness with a view to enlightenment. Continuous prayers like the "Jesus Prayer" with breathing and the regular reading and meditation of the Word of God can help us trim and illuminate our awareness. 

Above all the Lent is a time of joyful expectation. We are filled with hope for the future, and therefore we do not count time. But imagine the contrary experience of looking at future with a dismal anxiety. Usually this is our lot. We count time; we are bored; we pay all our attention to trivial things and silly conversation. We are disappointed, and we quarrel at home and in society. When something important happens we are not there. We regret, but it is too late. 

In one of the Lenten prayers we pray: 

"Re-lighten, O Lord, our lamps that are extinguished for want of righteousness."

 

This is about the equipment that we are required to carry with us as we wait.  

Christianity brought to the world a very fine set of ethical standards in social life- justice, equality, freedom, human dignity, peacefulness, forgiveness, honesty, humility, service-mindedness. These values constitute the oil that keeps the light of our hope burning. But now regrettably most Christians have lost these essential ethical standards of right living. The Christian mission now is to restore these essential values required for a really human community life.

All our socio-political ills like rampant corruption and denial of justice to the poor arise from our lack of will or indifference to practise them. So we need to check and re-check if our lamps are still burning, if our dresses are smartly in order, if we are just and honest, humble and ready to serve our fellow human beings in need whatever be their race and religion.