Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 15, 2007 - St. Albert the Great
[Wisdom 7:22B-8:1 and Luke 17:20-25]In Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly, firm, secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-seeing, and pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
In Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly, firm, secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-seeing, and pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle. St. Albert the Great is one of the monumental figures of the Thirteenth century. The fact that he lived to be 80 years old in that day and age would, alone, have made him remarkable. But he was a famous scientist in his own day. He entered the Dominican order after encountering one of the famous early Masters of the Order, Jordan of Saxony! His academic interests were very broad, but he was a natural observer and wrote many scientific treatises on natural phenomena. It doesn't stop there, however, He became the mentor of a brilliant young Italian friar known as Thomas D'Aquino and supervised his training! In so many ways, Albert personified the spirit of Wisdom in today's first scripture. In our own day, the tendency is to strive for "competency" and "certification" and "credentials." This frequently pushes "wisdom" right out of the picture! Decisions are made from appearances or possible economic gain rather than a true understanding of life that comes from experience and reflection. Each morning, I pray for two things: mercy and wisdom. I'm happy to have a brother like Albert to remind me of the importance of wisdom today! AMEN
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