We are called by Wisdom, or the Holy Spirit, to grow in virtue and our relationship with God over the course of our lives, but we often face common psychological reasons that get in our way.

“Resplendent and unfading is wisdom,
and she is readily perceived by those who love her,
and found by those who seek her.”

“O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts.”

“We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.”

"The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.”

Intelligence is different from wisdom. We can have intelligence with evil, but we cannot have wisdom with evil. Wisdom is alive, a personification of the Holy Spirit.

We are called to be more God-like in our relationships. Consider the mode of receiver; sometimes it can be prudent to not say something that is true.

Wisdom seeks us out; it comes to us if we’re receptive to that gift of God. We are called during our lives to build up our “oil” -- our virtues, our human formation, our spiritual formation. We need to be deliberate so we are ready for the wedding feast.

Just like the unprepared virgins could not “borrow” oil, we can’t borrow a relationship with God, virtues or human development at the end of our lives.

Try to assess your “readiness” this week. Consider your prayer life and think specifically about the human things that get in the way. For example, do you struggle with lack of discipline or structure that leads you to forget to pray? Is there a lack of accountability to prayer? Do you feel you have to be perfect in your prayer? These things tend to also get in the way of our human relationships as well.