Stay awake for you know neither the day nor the hour. The Church is two Sundays away from celebrating the feast of Christ the King of the Universe, a celebration that concludes the Church calendar year. As the title suggests, the feast of Christ the King is meant to remind us of the sovereign power of the Lord Jesus Christ as both King and Savior of the universe. But in addition, as a celebration that also brings down the curtain on the Church calendar, the feast of Christ the King also acts as a culmination of the saving mysteries of Christ that the Church celebrates in the course of her calendar year. These saving mysteries of Christ, while already began at creation, will be brought to their culmination at the second coming of Christ (popularly referred to as the end times) when the process of creation becomes complete. Liturgically, therefore, the feast of Christ the King is designed to both remind and prepare us for this important event of the second coming of Christ. For at the second coming, Christ will take his place at the judgment seat and pronounce judgment upon the world (cf. Matthew 25:31-46). Those who will be found to have remained faithful will be led by Christ to eternal life, while the apostates will reap eternal punishment. To ensure that we find ourselves among those who will be led by Christ to eternal life, as the parable of the ten virgins (the content of today’s Gospel Reading) exhorts us, we have to lead lives of constant preparedness. Just like the two Sundays preceding the feast of Christ the King is meant to prepare the faithful for the celebration of the feast, we must live our lives in a manner that prepares us for the second coming of Christ.
The parable of the ten virgins (five wise, five foolish) comes to us as part of Jesus’ final discourse on the last things, particularly the final judgment (cf. Matthew 24:1-25:46). In the discourse, Jesus borrows heavily from apocalyptic literature which was very much prevalent at the time, and with which those whom he was addressing must have been familiar. Characteristic of such a discourse, Jesus gives exhortations and warnings about the end time. The parable of the ten virgins, even though not coming across as graphic and terrifying as the other discourses on the last things, still brings the message home: to find oneself on the right side of the judgment, one has to ensure that he/she is perpetually prepared for Christ’s second coming. It is not enough that one has been given the privilege and honor of being invited (as all the ten virgins had been). One must also prov that he/she is worthy of the invitation (as the five wise virgins did show). Like the wise virgins, we who have been invited by the Lord must lead lives of perpetual preparedness since we do not know the day or the hour of the second coming. We must not put our guard down lest we be found unready when Jesus comes to take us home.
The preparedness about which Jesus exhorts us is nothing other than “having enough oil” to keep our lamps burning. Although the five “foolish” virgins were aware that the bridegroom was on his way coming and that they had been privileged to be among his welcoming party, they did not take into account the unpredictability of a wedding entourage. Their lack of foresight became their undoing for before the groom could make his way to where they were waiting for him, their lamps ran out of oil. As members of a baptized community, we have all been given the invitation to be part of Jesus’ bridal party. By virtue of our belonging to the body of Christ, we are all expected to be part of the banquet that Jesus will host for children of light. Like the five wise virgins, we have to ensure that our lamps have enough oil that will keep them burning as we await the arrival of our Master. 
At baptism, one of the three things that are performed and which constitute what is called the “explanatory rites” is the reception of a lighted candle by the newly baptized. And as the candle is handed to the baptized, the minister reminds the baptized that the flame of faith symbolized by the lighted candle should be kept alive until the coming of the Lord. This light will not only help us keep awake but will also “light up” the way for us as we are led to the eternal banquet. We keep this light alive by walking in the light of the Lord even as one is guided by the teachings of the Lord. 
The Lord who provides us with the lamps will never fail to provide us with the oil to keep the lamps burning. However, we have to be attentive to our lamps in order to notice the oil running low or the wick burning out. We have to be wise enough to stock the right amount of oil for the wake. Otherwise, all our labors and efforts will be brought to naught if at the coming of the Lord we will be found unworthy to join in his banquet.