The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), in which five wise virgins bring extra oil for their lamps and five foolish virgins do not, has traditionally been interpreted as a call for spiritual readiness and watchfulness for the return of Christ. The oil is often understood to symbolize spiritual resources, such as faith, grace, or the presence of the Holy Spirit, which must be nurtured and preserved in the believer’s life. While the parable is not directly linked to the diminishing of charismatic manifestations like speaking in tongues or miraculous healings, some might see in it a symbolic reflection of what occurred in the Western Church compared to the Eastern and Oriental Churches. In the West, by the time of theologians like Augustine and John Chrysostom, visible manifestations of the Holy Spirit—such as miracles, prophecy, and other charismatic gifts—had largely diminished. This could be seen as a parallel to the foolish virgins, who failed to maintain their spiritual vitality and were unprepared when the bridegroom (Christ) arrived. By contrast, the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, which maintained a greater emphasis on mysticism, monasticism, and a living experience of the Holy Spirit, may be compared to the wise virgins who kept their lamps filled with oil, remaining open to the ongoing presence and miraculous power of the Spirit. While the parable itself does not explicitly address charismatic gifts, the contrast between the decline of visible signs in the West and their persistence in the East and Orient could be seen as an allegory for the need to remain spiritually prepared, vigilant, and receptive to the workings of the Holy Spirit in all its forms. This would make the oil a metaphor for spiritual sensitivity and readiness to receive divine action, whether in ordinary or miraculous ways.
— Stephen D Green / ChatGPT, 2024
