Word to the Wise
Monday, November 11, 2019 - Monday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Titus 1:1-9 and Luke 17:1-6]For wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips; because God is the witness of his inmost self and the sure observer of his heart and the listener to his tongue. For the Spirit of the Lord fills the world, is all embracing, and knows what man says. [Wisdom]
NOVEMBER 11 ST. MARTIN OF TOURS
For the next few days, our first scripture will be taken from the Book of Wisdom in the Old Testament. In terms of composition, it is relatively recent, but in terms of genre, it is ancient. Many cultures in the Middle East and Asia have their own equivalents. Once in awhile someone like Robert Fulghum will collect some folk wisdom and publish it, such as ALL I KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN. However, as a matter of faith, we Catholics consider the Books of Wisdom, Sirach, Ecclesiastes and others in the Old Testament to be divinely inspired and a source of revelation to us about God. The last line of the quotation above is often used liturgically in speaking of the Holy Spirit's action in our lives.
We do learn a lot of wisdom in our early years about what it is wise to do or not to do. However, we can easily forget some things in the heat of the moment or in temptation's surge. For a person of Christian faith, the scriptures are a treasure trove of wise counsel in the ways of God. A good practice in this regard is simply to spend time at the end of the day reflecting on what we may have learned in the light of scriptures and faith. Reflection on our experience helps us to determine what we either need to stop doing, start doing, or keep on doing as a matter of faith and action. The Book of Wisdom will offer us some wonderful examples this week. AMEN