The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, as we approach the end of the Church year, invite contemplation of the Wisdom, Christ Incarnate, that guides our decisions.
The reading from the Book of Wisdom describes the superlative nature of Wisdom.
* [7:22b–23] The twenty-one (7 × 3) attributes of the spirit in Wisdom reflect the influence of contemporary philosophy, especially the Stoa, but the personification rests also on Prv 8:22–31 and Sir 24.
* [7:25–26] Five strong metaphors underline the origins and closeness of Wisdom with God. See the use of this language in Heb 1:3; Col 1:15. (Wisdom, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)
Psalm 119 praises the Glories of God’s Law.
* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus describes the Coming of the Kingdom.
* [17:20–37] To the question of the Pharisees about the time of the coming of God’s kingdom, Jesus replies that the kingdom is among you (Lk 17:20–21). The emphasis has thus been shifted from an imminent observable coming of the kingdom to something that is already present in Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry. Luke has also appended further traditional sayings of Jesus about the unpredictable suddenness of the day of the Son of Man, and assures his readers that in spite of the delay of that day (Lk 12:45), it will bring judgment unexpectedly on those who do not continue to be vigilant. (Luke, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)
Larry Hopp reminds us that we must be an active part of His kingdom every moment of every day, using His wisdom and truth to bear fruit through our lives.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your holy Word - the source of all truth. Your wisdom is so desperately needed in the mixed-up world we find ourselves in. We need your wisdom to help us maintain our focus upon you. Help us to be an effective part of your kingdom – to be a light bearing much fruit - all of which points to you alone.
In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen (Hopp, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Don't pursue human glory,” by John Cassian (360-435 AD).
"If the devil has been driven out and sin no longer reigns, then the kingdom of God is established in us. As it is written in the Gospel, 'The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, 'Lo here,' or 'Lo, there.' Truly I say to you that the kingdom of God is within you' (Luke 17:20-21). The only thing that can be 'within us' is knowledge or ignorance of the truth and the affection for righteousness or sin by which we prepare our hearts to be a kingdom of Christ or the devil. St. Paul described the nature of this kingdom in this way: 'For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' (Romans 14:17). If the kingdom of God is within us and is righteousness, peace and joy, then someone that remains in these is surely within the kingdom of God. Someone that remains in unrighteousness, conflict and the melancholy that kills the life of the spirit is already a citizen of the devil's kingdom, of hell and of death. These are the signs whether it is God's kingdom or the devil's." (excerpt from CONFERENCE 1.13.5)
[John Cassian was an early 5th century church father who lived for several years with the monks in Bethlehem and Egypt before founding a monastery in southern Gaul.] (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Wisdom 7:22–8:1 comments that the reading portrays wisdom as “a spirit . . . all-powerful, all-seeing” that “penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity” (Wisdom 7:22, 23, 24). Wisdom is a person who “can do all things,” and who, “passing into holy souls from age to age . . . produces friends of God and prophets” (7:27). That sounds a lot like the Holy Spirit, doesn’t it? The truth is, what this ancient writer called “wisdom,” we now understand to be God himself dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit.
Wisdom doesn’t just come from God—wisdom is God always working to transform us and to mold us into his image. The Spirit teaches you and purifies you in so many ways, whether it’s through a Scripture reading that speaks to you, through the grace to handle a difficult situation, or through the example of saints in heaven and on earth. You can know and develop a relationship with this divine Wisdom, who is God himself! So if you want wisdom, yield your heart to the Spirit in every challenging situation. Then wickedness will not prevail over you!
“Holy Spirit, Wisdom of God, lead me in your ways today!” (Meditation on Wisdom 7:22–8:1, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler explains the Jewish numerology in the text from the Book of Wisdom that indicates Wisdom as the greatest of the greatest mirror of the Glory of God. The theology of 2 BCE held that it was not possible to see God directly. Friar Jude notes that the texts of the end of the Church year nudge us to leave nothing left unsaid and nothing left undone.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Michelle Scheidt who observes that for some queer and other LGBTQIA+ people [1] the process of discovering their sexuality and identity invites them to “fall upward”:
For queer people, this process [of “falling upward”] can be catalyzed by the discovery of our sexuality or gender identity and subsequent learning to navigate the world with that identity. This discovery, at whatever age, is often destabilizing, even traumatizing, as we learn to embody an identity that transgresses the boundaries of socially accepted norms. We discover that the dominant social rules do not work for us because we have a radically different experience of family or gender or love. [2] (Rohr, 2023)
Pastor and NYFD chaplain Ann Kansfield describes trying to “fit in” when she was young, until she chose to live more authentically:
In his book New Seeds of Contemplation, Thomas Merton observed that a tree gives glory to God by being a tree. [4] I often recite this phrase like a mantra in my head as a reminder that my only job is to be my most authentic self. I’ve discovered that the more I embrace the person God made me, the more I’m able to love God. And, really, that’s the only thing I can offer to God and to the world. [5] (Rohr, 2023)
We have the Holy Spirit to help us apply the Wisdom of God to our relationships as we journey in contemplation of the end time.
References
Hopp, L. (2023, November 16). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111623.html
Luke, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/17?20
Meditation on Wisdom 7:22–8:1. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/11/16/830744/
Psalms, PSALM 119. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?89
Rohr, R. (2023, November 16). Queer Paths in the Two Halves of Life. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/queer-paths-in-the-two-halves-of-life/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=nov16
Wisdom, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/7?22
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