Everyone fell out of watchfulness and into slumber.* Everyone. Whether we are found among the foolish or the wise, none of us can stay fully alert for the long haul. When we fall into slumber, we are not alone. And now the really good news: No one is judged for falling asleep!
In this passage, separation from the feast of God’s love comes not because of the sin of lethargy, dozing off at the most significant moments. No, the doors lock against us when we expect others to be prepared and accountable on our behalf, when we expect to ride on the coattails of others’ goodness and readiness.
Haven’t we sometimes demanded that others be what we are not? That others live from the depths that we have never attained? That they be filled with the spirit of love and life even though that spirit has long ago drained out of us? Foolishness is not falling asleep but failing to do my own inner work.
What is foolish is to keep running on empty, and to look to others for the sustenance that only God can give directly. There is no admittance to the feast of love until I learn to care for, to take responsibility for, the flame of my own life.
