🕊️Saint Thecla, known as the "protomartyr" among women, was a noble virgin from Iconium who, upon hearing the preaching of Saint Paul the Apostle, converted and decided to consecrate her virginity to Christ, breaking off her engagement. Her unwavering faith led her to face terrible trials: she was condemned to the stake, from which she was miraculously saved by a storm; later, she was exposed to wild beasts, which became tame at her feet. Her life is a radical testimony to the call to holiness and readiness for the encounter with the heavenly Bridegroom, being a perfect example of the prudent virgin who keeps her lamp lit. Concerning her firmness, the ancient martyrologies testify to her courage in speaking "before kings without being confounded."
🕊️ Introit (Ecclus 45:30 | Ps 131:1)Loquébar de testimóniis tuis in conspéctu regum, et non confundébar... I spoke of Your testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed; and I meditated on Your commandments, which I have loved exceedingly. Ps. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
📜 Epistle (Ecclus 51:1-8, 12)
Book of Wisdom. I will give glory to You, O Lord, my King, and I will praise You, O God, my Savior. I will celebrate Your Name, for You have been my helper and protector, and have delivered my body from destruction, from the snare of the unjust tongue, and from the lips of those who forge lies. In the sight of my adversaries, You have been my defender. You have delivered me, according to the greatness of Your mercy, from those who roared, ready to devour; from the hands of those who sought my life; from the power of the tribulations that surrounded me, from the violence of the flame that enveloped me, and in the midst of the fire, I was not burned; from the depths of the belly of hell, and from the unclean tongue, from the word of falsehood, from an unjust king, and from a deceitful tongue. My soul shall praise the Lord even to death, because You deliver those who wait for You, and save them from the hands of the Gentiles, O Lord our God.
Book of Wisdom. I will give glory to You, O Lord, my King, and I will praise You, O God, my Savior. I will celebrate Your Name, for You have been my helper and protector, and have delivered my body from destruction, from the snare of the unjust tongue, and from the lips of those who forge lies. In the sight of my adversaries, You have been my defender. You have delivered me, according to the greatness of Your mercy, from those who roared, ready to devour; from the hands of those who sought my life; from the power of the tribulations that surrounded me, from the violence of the flame that enveloped me, and in the midst of the fire, I was not burned; from the depths of the belly of hell, and from the unclean tongue, from the word of falsehood, from an unjust king, and from a deceitful tongue. My soul shall praise the Lord even to death, because You deliver those who wait for You, and save them from the hands of the Gentiles, O Lord our God.
📖 Gospel (Mt 25:1-13)
At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to His disciples: The kingdom of heaven shall be like ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. But five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five foolish, taking their lamps, did not take oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, a cry was made: Behold the bridegroom comes, go forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. Now while they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. But at last came also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not. Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.
At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to His disciples: The kingdom of heaven shall be like ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. But five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five foolish, taking their lamps, did not take oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, a cry was made: Behold the bridegroom comes, go forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out. The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. Now while they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. But at last came also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not. Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.
🤔 Reflections
🕯️Saint Thecla embodies the figure of the prudent virgin, whose lamp is the profession of faith and whose oil is the charity that sustains it. The lamps are the visible good works, but the oil is the inner treasure of love for God. Charity is the oil, a good that cannot be borrowed; it must be bought, that is, acquired with personal effort and the grace of God, nourishing it with prayer and the sacraments (St. Augustine, Sermon 93). All the virgins fall asleep, for the sleep of death is common to both the just and sinners; the difference is manifested upon awakening, when only those who possessed the oil of perseverance and works of mercy can light their way to the wedding feast. The oil represents the inner will, the delight in justice, and the love that fuels faith, for without it, faith is extinguished in the hour of trial (St. Gregory the Great, Homily 12 on the Gospels). The refusal to share the oil does not indicate selfishness but the reality that one's justice and conscience are non-transferable at the moment of the final judgment.
✝️The parable of the ten virgins is unique to the Gospel of St. Matthew. While St. Luke addresses the theme of watchfulness more generally, as in the passage of the servants awaiting their master's return from the wedding (Lk 12:35-38), exhorting them to have their "loins girt and lamps burning," he does not develop the rich allegory of the oil. Matthew's narrative is unique in its focus on the distinction between external preparation (the lamp) and the internal substance of faith (the oil), highlighting that readiness for the Kingdom is not merely a matter of appearance but of a constantly nourished inner virtue.
✍️The writings of St. Paul, the teacher of St. Thecla, profoundly illuminate the Gospel. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, he extols virginity as a state that allows for an "undivided devotion" to the things of the Lord, which reflects the vigilance of the prudent virgins (1 Cor 7:32-34). The image of the Church as the bride of Christ is central to his theology: "For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor 11:2), which directly connects to the wedding scene. Furthermore, the Gospel's final exhortation, "Watch," echoes Paul's appeal to the Thessalonians not to sleep as others do, but, as "children of the light," to remain vigilant and sober, awaiting the Day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:5-6).
🏛️The documents of the Magisterium of the Church deepen the theology of consecrated virginity, echoing the readiness of the prudent virgins. The Encyclical Sacra Virginitas of Pope Pius XII teaches that virginity for the Kingdom of Heaven is not merely a renunciation but a positive choice that allows the human heart to love God "with an undivided love" and to dedicate itself more freely to His service and that of neighbor. This state of life is an eschatological sign, an anticipation of the definitive nuptial union with Christ in heaven, for which the prudent virgins prepared themselves with the oil of charity and persevering faith. Thus, the life of a consecrated virgin like St. Thecla is a lamp that illuminates the path to the eternal wedding feast.
🧐See English version of the critical articles here.
🕯️Saint Thecla embodies the figure of the prudent virgin, whose lamp is the profession of faith and whose oil is the charity that sustains it. The lamps are the visible good works, but the oil is the inner treasure of love for God. Charity is the oil, a good that cannot be borrowed; it must be bought, that is, acquired with personal effort and the grace of God, nourishing it with prayer and the sacraments (St. Augustine, Sermon 93). All the virgins fall asleep, for the sleep of death is common to both the just and sinners; the difference is manifested upon awakening, when only those who possessed the oil of perseverance and works of mercy can light their way to the wedding feast. The oil represents the inner will, the delight in justice, and the love that fuels faith, for without it, faith is extinguished in the hour of trial (St. Gregory the Great, Homily 12 on the Gospels). The refusal to share the oil does not indicate selfishness but the reality that one's justice and conscience are non-transferable at the moment of the final judgment.
✝️The parable of the ten virgins is unique to the Gospel of St. Matthew. While St. Luke addresses the theme of watchfulness more generally, as in the passage of the servants awaiting their master's return from the wedding (Lk 12:35-38), exhorting them to have their "loins girt and lamps burning," he does not develop the rich allegory of the oil. Matthew's narrative is unique in its focus on the distinction between external preparation (the lamp) and the internal substance of faith (the oil), highlighting that readiness for the Kingdom is not merely a matter of appearance but of a constantly nourished inner virtue.
✍️The writings of St. Paul, the teacher of St. Thecla, profoundly illuminate the Gospel. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, he extols virginity as a state that allows for an "undivided devotion" to the things of the Lord, which reflects the vigilance of the prudent virgins (1 Cor 7:32-34). The image of the Church as the bride of Christ is central to his theology: "For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor 11:2), which directly connects to the wedding scene. Furthermore, the Gospel's final exhortation, "Watch," echoes Paul's appeal to the Thessalonians not to sleep as others do, but, as "children of the light," to remain vigilant and sober, awaiting the Day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:5-6).
🏛️The documents of the Magisterium of the Church deepen the theology of consecrated virginity, echoing the readiness of the prudent virgins. The Encyclical Sacra Virginitas of Pope Pius XII teaches that virginity for the Kingdom of Heaven is not merely a renunciation but a positive choice that allows the human heart to love God "with an undivided love" and to dedicate itself more freely to His service and that of neighbor. This state of life is an eschatological sign, an anticipation of the definitive nuptial union with Christ in heaven, for which the prudent virgins prepared themselves with the oil of charity and persevering faith. Thus, the life of a consecrated virgin like St. Thecla is a lamp that illuminates the path to the eternal wedding feast.
🧐See English version of the critical articles here.