disciples in the temple, teaching them by parables, telling them about the
Second Coming.
{The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids}
"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.
(The Parable of the Talents}
"For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and
entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, {A talent was
worth more than fifteen years' wages of a laborer} to another two, to
another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one
who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and
made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents
made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off
and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time
the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one
who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents,
saying, "Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five
more talents.' His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy
slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge
of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one with the two
talents also came forward, saying, "Master, you handed over to me two
talents; see, I have made two more talents.' His master said to him, "Well
done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things,
I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying,
"Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow,
and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went
and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his
master replied, "You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap
where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to
have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have
received what was my own with
interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten
talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have
an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be
taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
(The Judgment of the Nations}
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then
he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered
before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right
hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right
hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and
you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you
took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous
will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you
food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we
saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And
when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and
visited you?' And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you
did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it
to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed,
depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me
nothing to drink, I was a
stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing,
sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer,
"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked
or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer
them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of
these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous
into eternal life." (Matthew 25:1-46)
Many people in the Church resemble that servant [Matt. 25:24-27]. They are
afraid to attempt a better way of life, but not of resting in idleness. When
they advert to the fact that they are sinners, the prospect of laying hold
of ways of holiness alarms them, but they feel no fear at remaining in their
wickedness. – Gregory the Great
Some who seek Him are blamed, others who do are commended… therefore, let us
seek for Christ, that He may be ours, that we may keep Him, and not that we
may slay Him. – Augustine
We and all the Christians ought to follow the example of out Lord Jesus
Christ the True Light because we are His servants. He is the Shepherd and we
are His sheep governed by Him. – Shenouti the Archimandrite
Mark Sadek
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