Oil is one of the most precious commodities in the world today. The prestige of nations and the balance of political power are influenced by the lack or excess of it. This situation depicts a deeper, spiritual need, one that can be met through the teachings of Christian Science.
Mrs. Eddy writes, "Metaphysics resolves things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul." 1 What is the spiritual idea that underlies the many references to the word "oil" in the Bible? Though petroleum differs from biblical oil, do the Bible's teachings still have meaning for us today? In the Glossary of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy defines "oil" this way: "Consecration; charity; gentleness; prayer; heavenly inspiration." 2
All people need this oil, and we all have a source of supply, a bottomless well that never dries up. From this well we obtain oil of the highest quality. A desire to understand more of the nature of God and His reflection, man, will give us access to its supply. We need a deep consecration in our study of the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings; an unshakable and inviolable charity; a gentleness that is the outcome of spiritual strength; prayer based on our oneness with God, infinite good; and the inspiration that will free us from the belief that we live in a material universe and are subject to its conditions.
In his parable of the ten virgins, Christ Jesus teaches us to value oil. This parable is addressed to his disciples rather than to casual listeners. All the virgins had lamps with oil in them, but only half took an extra supply "in their vessels with their lamps" 3 to see them through the night if the wait was longer than anticipated. They all grew weary with waiting and were sleepy, but those whose lamps were filled were ready when the call came.
We cannot be satisfied with just enough oil for a glimpse of truth! We need the heights and depths of heavenly inspiration and consecration. We need to pray when it is day—when things are going well and we can see the wider spectrum of life. And when we pray during the darker periods of human experience, we shouldn't focus so intently on the problems at hand that the broader implications of the real and true are missed. If we allow our thinking to be superficial and casual when things are going well, we may have to work harder to obtain the spiritual understanding we need in order to overcome the night experience of sickness or trouble. As we put God first in our lives, we become more willing to set aside adequate time for prayer and study.
In an emergency there may not be time or opportunity to rush to the Bible and to Mrs. Eddy's writings to obtain fresh inspiration. Then we have to use what we have in hand to light our way through the darkness of fear and doubt until we understand that man is and always has been the perfect child of God. We must be able to stay the course if we want to achieve a deeper awareness of the supremacy of good.
When we hear the call to rise and show our light, we must first, like the virgins, "trim our lamps." We cannot keep the light burning with previous demonstrations alone. The truths seen then provided light when it was needed, but we must keep growing. We need to trim the wick, put away whatever is no longer fruitful, so that our lives can express the illumination of today's thinking.
To give the brightest light, oil needs to be of the highest quality and purity. Similarly, we need to purify our expression of the spiritual qualities Mrs. Eddy associates with oil. Desire to do and be good shows us that these attributes are of God. It enables us to shut the door on the material senses in order to pray aright. Then joy and inspiration are revealed.
The world needs this light. We must use our spiritual resources wisely in order to meet the demands of today and respond effectively to the needs of mankind.
