H.H. Pope Tawadros II delivered his weekly sermon during the Wednesday meeting this evening from St. Anthony’s Church at the Papal Residence in the Abbassiya Cathedral. The sermon was broadcast on Christian satellite channels and the online C.O.C channel, affiliated with the Church’s Media Center.

His Holiness continued the series “Pairs in the Parables of Christ”, reading from Matthew 25:1-13, focusing on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. He connected this parable with Christ’s encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4, emphasizing the theme of “being filled and satisfied.”

Pope Tawadros pointed out that this parable appears only once in the four Gospels—in Matthew’s Gospel—just as the story of the Samaritan woman appears only once in the Gospel of John.

He then explained the symbolism of the parable in relation to the story of the Samaritan woman:

1. The Number 10– This represents the legal number for prayer gatherings in Jewish tradition, the Ten Commandments, and the ten fingers of the hand, symbolizing responsibility.
2. The Virgins– Symbolize souls living for Christ, whether in virginity, consecration, or marriage…”For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2).
3. The Lamps – A dish containing a little oil and a burning wick.
4. The Wedding– Takes place at night, requiring watchfulness…”Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning” (Luke 12:35).
5. Waiting for the Bridegroom– Represents good stewardship, readiness, and longing for Christ.
6. The Bridegroom– Represents the Lord Christ at His Second Coming. The souls which are prepared (wise virgins) rejoice in Him….”Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The word “adorned” is used exclusively for the bride on her wedding day, as she is in a state of complete readiness.
7. “Five were wise, and five were foolish” – The number five symbolizes the five senses and the diversity of human abilities and talents etc… A person walking in God’s way becomes wise.
8. The Key Difference– The wise and foolish virgins differed in their use of time… “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).
9. “Their vessels” – Represent the human heart as a storehouse for oil…”But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door…” (Matthew 6:6). Is the heart filled with virtues? Is the heart ready?
10. The Oil– Symbolizes the Holy Spirit and the Sacrament of Chrismation (Myroon Oil), by which a person becomes anointed: “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God” (2 Corinthians 1:21).
11. “While the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept”(Matthew 25:5) – The night symbolizes the waiting period before the Lord Christ’s coming. Sleep is not laziness, for even the wise virgins slept but were prepared.
12. “Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!” (Matthew 25:6).
    “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
13. “While they went to buy, the bridegroom came” (Matthew 25:10) – Highlights the importance of using time wisely, which differentiates the wise virgins from the foolish.
14. The Wedding Feast – Represents the door of Heaven…”‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (Revelation 3:7).
15. “Lord, Lord, open to us!” (Matthew 25:11) – The foolish virgins sought mercy too late, missing their chance to enter the Kingdom.
16. “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12).
    “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own” (John 10:14).

His Holiness clarified how these scenes are connected to the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman:

1. The Lord Christ thirsts for every sinful soul– God did not create man for destruction but redeemed him on the Cross.
2. The Lord Christ preserved her dignity– By sending His disciples away to buy food, so that she could avoid everyone.
3. The Lord Christ restored her virginity and purity of the soul.
4. The Lord Christ valued her as a bride-to-be for the heavenly Bridegroom, emphasizing the value of the human soul.
5. The conversation with the Samaritan Woman had a purpose– Christ’s spoke with her to save an entire city.
6. When the Lord Christ built a pure soul in her, she forgot her past: “Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Thus, the Lord Christ led her to abandon evil, and His dialogue was satisfying.
7. He lifted her spiritually through His conversation with her– “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).
8. “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did!” (John 4:29). Christ may send you to a place with a mission and purpose.

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