Word to the Wise
Monday, September 22, 2008 - Monday in the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
[Proverbs 3:27-34 and Luke 8:16-18]refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give," when you can give at once.
Wisdom is often to be found in small packages such as proverbs. Biblical scholars tell us that books in the bible such as Wisdom, Sirach, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs are all based on lists or books of proverbs that were in common circulation throughout the Middle East! To the extent that these "sayings" were found to be helpful in teaching and expressing faith, the Jewish community incorporated them into their own culture and combined them with their own "sayings" which then found their way into collections that were ultimately included in the canon of scripture. Sometimes the sayings are attributed to famous persons like Solomon but the origins of most of them are to be found in basic human experience. On a secular level, many Americans would be familiar with sayings from Benjamin Franklin's POOR RICHARD'S ALMANAC, which Franklin himself had taken from other sources. Collecting the statements, wise or unwise, of certain well known persons is an activity as old as writing. This tendency is important in the gospels because large portions of them are composed of Jesus' sayings that were circulated, collected and "stitched" together in a continuous narrative. The gospel for today, from the Gospel of Luke, would be an example of that. There are at least three independent "sayings" in those three verses! In reflecting on the passage from the Book of Proverbs I found myself thinking of the situation of many pastors trying to respond to all the needs of their parishioners. Just how much "power to do" can any one person have? It's like the mother bird with one worm and all those little mouths open in front of her! It becomes a luxury to be able to "give at once." If nothing else, the proverb reminds us of the importance of a generous response to a reasonable need when we are in a position to do so. The "sigh!" comes when we realize that we do have to tell some folks to come another time! Small sayings of wisdom have a way of opening big reflections! AMEN
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