The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the effect of our faith in being “fearfully and wonderfully” made as children of God.
The Reading from the Book of Wisdom is an Exhortation to Righteousness, the Key to Life.
* [1:1–6:21] The reward is the gift of immortality, to the righteous (1:15; 3:1–3), but not to the wicked (5:1–13). Contrasts between these two groups dominate chaps. 1–5. The philosophy of the wicked and their persecution of the righteous are dramatically presented in 1:16–2:24. New light is shed on the suffering of the righteous (3:1–9), childlessness (3:13–15), and premature death (4:7–16)—in contrast to the fate of the wicked (3:10–12, 16–19; 4:3–6, 17–20).
* [1:1] Righteousness: not merely the cardinal virtue of justice (cf. 8:7), but the universal moral quality which is the application of wisdom to moral conduct. You who judge: “judges” and “kings” (cf. 6:1) are addressed in accordance with the literary customs of the times and with the putative Solomonic authorship, but the real audience is the Jewish community.
* [1:4] In these verses personified Wisdom is identified with the spirit of the Lord; so also in 9:17.
* [1:5] Discipline: here and elsewhere, another name for Wisdom. (Wisdom, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 139 is a hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience.
* [Psalm 139] A hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze (Ps 139:1–6), of God’s presence in every part of the universe (Ps 139:7–12), and of God’s control over the psalmist’s very self (Ps 139:13–16). Summing up Ps 139:1–16, 17–18 express wonder. There is only one place hostile to God’s rule—wicked people. The psalmist prays to be removed from their company (Ps 139:19–24).
* [139:2] When I sit and stand: in all my physical movement.
* [139:9] Take the wings of dawn: go to the extremities of the east. Beyond the sea: uttermost bounds of the west; the sea is the Mediterranean. (Psalms, PSALM 139 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke warns against temptations to Sin and presents a Saying of Faith.
* [17:3] Be on your guard: the translation takes Lk 17:3a as the conclusion to the saying on scandal in Lk 17:1–2. It is not impossible that it should be taken as the beginning of the saying on forgiveness in Lk 17:3b–4. (Luke, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)
Barbara Dilly comments that while being without sin is impossible for us, choosing a life of seeking wisdom is not so difficult to do. While sin inevitably occurs, and we are in bondage to it by human nature, we do not have to live under its power. Through our faith, we can take the high road.
These words of hope are the most central to my faith as I tend to be a person of action. A lot of people of little faith feel safer just judging others. But that is not how we increase our faith. It happens through real interaction with the world and through daily discernment of the sort we read in Psalm 139. Rather than judging others, let us let God examine us at the end of the day. Where do we sit and where do we stand in the everlasting way? I pray that today we will read Psalm 139 as a prayer of discernment. And we can pray often throughout the day, “Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way!” (Dilly, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “To increase faith is to strengthen it by the Holy Spirit,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"They ask, 'Add faith to us.' They do not ask simply for faith, for perhaps you might imagine them to be without faith. They rather ask Christ for an addition to their faith and to be strengthened in faith. Faith partly depends on us and partly is the gift of the divine grace. The beginning of faith depends on us and our maintaining confidence and faith in God with all our power. The confirmation and strength necessary for this comes from the divine grace. For that reason, since all things are possible with God, the Lord says that all things are possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23). The power that comes to us through faith is of God. Knowing this, blessed Paul also says in the first epistle to the Corinthians, 'For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, and to another faith in the same Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:8). You see that he has placed faith also in the catalogue of spiritual graces. The disciples requested that they might receive this from the Savior, contributing also what was of themselves. By the descent upon them of the Holy Spirit, he granted it to them after the fulfillment of the dispensation. Before the resurrection, their faith was so feeble that they were liable even to the charge of being 'little of faith'." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILIES 113-16) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Wisdom 1:1-7 considers an unsettling thought! God sees into our “inmost self” and is the “sure observer” of even the deepest secrets of our hearts (Wisdom 1:6).
“Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence where can I flee? (Psalm 139:7). Lord, you have been with me, through all my best days and worst days. Even when I feel most alone, you are still with me, offering me your unfailing help! Lord, I can’t begin to comprehend your greatness! All I can do is stop and ponder, speechless with wonder and awe!”
“Lord, thank you for your amazing ever-present love!” (Meditation on Wisdom 1:1-7, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Book of Wisdom presents the understanding of Israel as more profound than Greek philosophy that was dominant at the time. Lady Wisdom leads us to a knowledge of God to make a choice between Wisdom and Folly that causes us to do wrong things. In Luke, three sayings today warn against causing a little one, or the anawim, those with no power, to sin. We need to care about our example. We are called to forgive the “perfect number” of times with no limit. We want to heal the brokenness. Friar Jude reminds us of the Faith that we have received and when we respond, it will change our hearts and the world.
Fr. Mike draws our attention to Mary. He clarifies the difference between Zechariah's response and Mary's response to the angel Gabriel, and also explains why Mary is the Ark of the new Covenant. We learn that through Mary, God begins to fulfill his promises to the people of Israel. Today's readings are Luke 1-2, and Proverbs 25:24-26.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces contemplative author and artist Christine Valters Paintner who expands how we understand sacramentality—not only as something we experience in church rituals, but also a way of perceiving the divine presence in all things. A sense of sacramentality, rooted in the Incarnation, extends our vision out to the world so that everything can be a sacrament, meaning every person, creature, plant, and object can be an opportunity to encounter something of the Divine Presence in the world. Sacramentality is a quality present in creation that opens us up to the Sacred Presence in all things. Sacraments reveal grace.
This discovery that every creature and every created thing can be a window of revelation into the divine nature is an invitation to fall more and more in love with the world. To see that teachers of grace exist everywhere means to bring a sense of reverence to the way we walk in the world. When we encounter nature as sacrament, we can no longer objectify it. We can instead create the circumstances that nurture and nourish this kind of vision…. Sacramental vision means not only that we grow in our love of God’s ways in the world but also that we grow in our sense of kinship with creation…. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the insight of the Spirit to understand our response to the Love of omnipresent and omniscient God, since our time in the womb.
References
Dilly, B. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-november-10-2025
Luke, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/17?1
Meditation on Wisdom 1:1-7. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/11/10/1426569/
Psalms, PSALM 139 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/139?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/recognizing-grace/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lord Jesus Increase Our Faith. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
Wisdom, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/1?1
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