Today's Gospel in Art - Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom

Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, by Hieronymus Francken 1616 © Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 9th August 2021 - Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: '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 sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, "The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him." At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, "Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out." But they replied, "There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves." They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. "Lord, Lord," they said "open the door for us." But he replied, "I tell you solemnly, I do not know you." So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.'

Reflection on the Painting

Our painting from 1616 by Hieronymus Francken depicts the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. On the left we see the foolish virgins, enjoying life, drinking, playing music, and with an abundance of earthly pleasures around them. The five wise virgins are depicted on the right, seated around a crucifix. One virgin in the background is seen praying in front of a domestic altar, one is filling her oil lamp, another is praying the rosary with an open Bible on her lap. The very top of the painting has an illuminated reserve showing the gates of Heaven. Jesus is seen letting the wise virgins through the doors; the foolish virgins on the right are throwing their arms up in despair. What is particularly striking in this painting are all the scattered objects on the foreground floor at the bottom of the painting. The dice and playing cards are a sign of faulty life goals and finding pleasures in purely earthly joys. The broken glass shows the fragility of life. There is even an open oyster. Oysters were a reminder of ancient times: throughout antiquity and all the way throughout art history they symbolised Aphrodite, the goddess of love, fertility, pleasure, and sexual pleasures. Two masks are also thrown on the floor, one face up, one face down - masks trying to cover up the spiritual hollowness of the foolish virgins.

Plenty to look at in this painting… But to stay with the point of the masks in our painting, we all wear masks up to a point. We all put up facades. For as long as we wear them, people around us won't know who we are deep down, and will just see a projection of 'who we pretend to be', rather than what we are. Jesus is crying out in today's reading for us to be authentic.

As we walk through life, we slowly build up these masks. Relating to power, profession, status, wealth, social pressures, masks can become how other people see us. In fact the very word 'hypocrite' comes straight from mask wearing. The word comes from the Greek, "hupokrites". Stage actors assumed different characters and held masks in front of their faces when they performed, pretending to be one of the gods or mythical heroes. The idea of using an artificial face stuck. A hypocrite is someone who puts on another face…

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/893
Christian Art - www.christian.art