The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.”
In this saying the panic and belated realization of the foolish virgins is revealed. Only at the moment of the Bridegroom’s coming do they understand that their light is going out, and they try to borrow it. But the oil—the grace of the Holy Spirit and the inner warmth of faith—cannot be passed from one person to another. Thus, their request shows the human condition in which late repentance can no longer be repaid, and that a person cannot rely on another’s readiness or faith. Each one must keep the light alive in his heart while there is still time.