Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 14, 2013 - Thursday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 7:22b—8:1 and Luke 17:20-25]And passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets. For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.
After reading all the attributes of Wisdom that begin this particular passage from the Book of Wisdom, one can see why Wisdom is so pleasing! Who among us would not want to be "intelligent, holy, unique, .....firm, secure, tranquil...etc?" The early Christian community was aware of this book of the Bible because it was very probably the most recent work of the Old Testament, and reflected the philosophical Jewish circles in Alexandria, Egypt. Scripture scholars date its composition to within 50 years before Jesus' birth!
The early Christian community also saw Jesus as the personification of God's Wisdom and the Holy Spirit as the acting principle of Wisdom in the baptized person. However, in Jewish tradition, Wisdom was not quite as abstract as the Book of Wisdom makes it to be. That is why reading the Book of Proverbs and Sirach helps to fill out the picture. St. Paul contrasts human wisdom with God's wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:24 and finds God's wisdom in the person of the crucified Christ! Being wise is more than knowing what to do in a difficult situation, it is also understanding why a particular way is the right one. A child once told me that "wisdom is knowledge gained from experience!" Yes, that is very true, but it is also knowledge gained from faith! AMEN