Word to the Wise
Monday, September 20, 2010 - St. Andrew Kim and Companions, martyrs
[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. Say not to your neighbor, "Go and come again, tomorrow I will give, " when you can give at once.
Every age has its collected wisdom in the form of "proverbs." Lists of these bits of wisdom were circulating long before the Bible was put into writing, and made their way into the cultures surrounding the Mediterranean Sea! The Israelites collected these and added their own. Thus we have books like Proverbs, Wisdom, Ecclesiastes and Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) among the parts of the Bible that we call the "Wisdom literature." The Church will be meditating on selections from these books over the next few days. One characteristic of the contents of the Wisdom literature is that they seem ageless and pertinent! Who among us has not experienced what the quote above refers to? Someone comes with a request that we know he or she has a legitimate right to ask, but we just don't "feel like" responding! I am reminded of a sign I have seen that goes something like this: "I can only be nice to one person a day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either!" Proverbs challenges us to a generosity of response! Of course, in the days when I was a pastor of a parish, that proverb could make my life very difficult. I felt like I was tied to a chair in front of a TV and everyone else had their own remote! Obviously, there's some discernment and wisdom also to be gained in learning how to "prioritize" our responses! Over the next few days we can allow the wisdom of the ages, which the Bible includes as "inspired" wisdom, to give us something to think about. One thing it might remind us of is that no matter how "modern" we may think ourselves to be, God's wisdom is always ahead of us! AMEN