Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 - Wednesday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Isa 10:5-7, 13b-16 and Matt 11:25-27]I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
A suffix can make a big difference! Jesus speaks of the "childLIKE" and not the "childISH!" What is at stake here is the way in which we are open to hearing what Jesus has to say. Can we be trusting, or are we skeptical and cynical? Jesus speaks of the "wise and the learned" in a way that may be puzzling here. The wise and learned in the gospels are often the scribes and Pharisees whose knowledge of the Mosaic Law often got in the way of hearing Jesus. For instance, some of them rejected Jesus because he was known to be from Nazareth in Galilee, and they did not see that in the scriptures. The Sadducees rejected Jesus in part because he spoke of a resurrection at the end of time, and they saw nothing in the first five books of the Old Testament the Torah, that spoke of resurrection (even though Jesus foiled them in their question about the woman who married seven brothers!). St. Paul, a very educated man, in his first Letter to the Corinthians, speaks about the sages of the time and the "wisdom of the world" in a disparaging way. (1 Cor 1:20-21).
There are times when one's educational or other background can be a distraction or an obstacle to hearing or perceiving a truth that does not "fit" into the categories we learn from that background! In such a case, we may react prematurely and instinctively in a negative way without ever knowing what it is that we are reacting to! The openness of the child is the model that Jesus offers for the best way to receive the revelation that he represents. It is not a matter of "anti-intellectualism" but one of attitude. There is much to be learned about our faith, but we have to begin with an open heart and mind! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
81 ms
4
