Word to the Wise
Monday, November 8, 2021 - Monday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 1:1-7 and Luke 17:1-6]"For the Spirit of the Lord fills the whole world, is all embracing, and knows what man says." [Wisdom] O Lord, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know the whole of it. Behind me and before, you hem me in and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to attain. Ps. 139
I do not, as a rule, reflect on the responsorial psalm that accompanies the daily scriptures, but the combination of the Book of Wisdom and the 139th Psalm (a favorite of mine) is too much to resist! One of the complaints that I hear often is about prayer and one's relationship to God. It seems that there is a constant search for the right words or devotional/physical gestures that will please God who is outside of oneself. Sometimes the complaint is about the "absence of God" (who is an outside individual!) The Book of Wisdom and the 139th Psalm speak to us of an all-encompassing Spirit of God who is WITHIN us and knows us completely.
Our western individualism can be uncomfortable with this reality. God would appear to be invasive and disrespecful of our privacy! But this kind of thinking places God on an equal basis as an individual in relationship to us! That was the idea of God that the serpent used to tempt Eve!
The person of faith must come to terms with God's presence. We may be less worthy at times than we could be, but God cannot be erased. There is an old hymn, "Hey Sinner Man, where you gonna run to!" The dialogue within us often focuses on our relationship to ourselves but God is at least a silent participant (even when we try to exclude God). Ultimately, if we accept the presence of the great wisdom and love that is on offer to us everyday of our lives from God, we will know true peace and love and can offer that same message to others! AMEN