Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 16, 2023 - Thursday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 7:22b—8:1 and Luke 17:20-25]And she [Wisdom], who is one, can do all things, and renews everything while herself perduring; 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. [Wisdom] "The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For the Kingdom of God is among you." [Luke]
Once when a pastor asked a group of school children, "What is wisdom?" one of the children answered, "Knowledge gained from experience!" That precocious response is correct, as far as it goes. But wisdom, in the sense meant by the passage today from the Book of Wisdom, is more than something we acquire by experience. Christian tradition has identified Wisdom with the presence of the Holy Spirit: [A]nd passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets." The Gospel According to Luke speaks often of the action of the Holy Spirit, especially in the light of the Pentecost event which is recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, also by Luke. In today's passage, Jesus points out that the "Kingdom of God" is not some political or even ecclesiastical entity that we can point to, even though some, at times, have identified the institutional expression of the church with the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is God's presence among us, as Jesus was present when he lived on earth and as the Holy Spirit continues that presence in the faith and actions of believers.
"Wisdom" without love of God and neighbor remains useful knowledge, but it is not the wisdom born of faith. The Body of Christ is the dwelling place of the Spirit [Romans 8:16-17, 26-27] not just in a collective sense but individual sense as well. The Holy Spirit guides us in our growth [John 16:13] when we cloak our acquired "knowledge" with love. The Kingdom of God is truly "among us" when we act with love. AMEN