Wisdom for enlightened action

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary urge us to model our behaviour on that of God.

A corner that shows harmony

The Book of Proverbs urges us to find blessing in bringing justice to our neighbour.

* [3:21–35] As in other instructions, the father in vv. 21–26 urges the son to seek wisdom, which in this case means practicing the virtues of “deliberation and planning,” a specification of wisdom. Practicing these virtues brings protection from violence (vv. 22–26) and friendship with God (vv. 32–35). The language is like Ps 91.

The Gospel of Luke uses the image of a lamp on a lampstand as our guide to making the image of God visible to all.

* [8:16–18] These sayings continue the theme of responding to the word of God. Those who hear the word must become a light to others (Lk 8:16); even the mysteries of the kingdom that have been made known to the disciples (Lk 8:9–10) must come to light (Lk 8:17); a generous and persevering response to the word of God leads to a still more perfect response to the word.

Joe Zaborowski notes that Jesus exhorts us to bring both his words and teaching into the light for others to see and respond to.

The ability for  hear the word of God clearly should be easy , but at times it is not. The answer for me is in prayer, meditation, quiet listening  and spiritual direction. Only by applying all these tools am I able to “take care of how I hear.

Don Schwager quotes “The Word of God is like a lamp to guide us”, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"Scripture does not say this about a tangible lamp but about a comprehensible one. One does not 'light' the lamp and conceal it 'with a vessel' or put it 'under a bed, but on the lamp stand' within himself. The vessels of the house are the powers of the soul. The bed is the body. 'Those who go in' are those who hear the teacher... He calls the holy church a 'lamp stand.' By its proclamation, the Word of God gives light to all who are in this world and illuminates those in the house with the rays of the truth, filling the minds of all with divine knowledge. (excerpt from FRAGMENTS ON LUKE 120, 122)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 8:16-18 comments that it is common to read this passage and see ourselves as the lamp set on a lamp stand, shining for all to see. But what if we thought about Jesus himself being the brightly shining light?

So what does the light of Christ help us to see? For one thing, it reveals more than an abstract set of facts about God. It shows us God himself: his mercy, his love, and his faithfulness. And when God reveals himself, he always touches our hearts even as he illuminates our minds. We see him a little more clearly, and our hearts are moved to follow him a little more closely.

Fr. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv, comments on the simplistic formulation of Proverbs that declares the good will be treated with kindness. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer refers to faith in the Gospel from Luke. Friar Jude notes that our motivation makes the difference between being visible to others or being secret as in the Sermon on the Mount.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes that mature religions and individuals have great tolerance and even appreciation for differences. When we are secure and confident in our oneness—knowing that all are created in God’s image and are equally beloved—differences of faith, culture, language, skin color, sexuality, or other trait no longer threaten us. Rather, we seek to understand and honor others and to live in harmony with them. Karen Armstrong explains how this is a core teaching within Islam.

There was no question of a literal, simplistic reading of scripture. Every single image, statement, and verse in the Qur’an is called an ayah (“sign,” “symbol,” “parable”), because we can speak of God only analogically. The great ayat of the creation and the last judgment are not introduced to enforce “belief,” but they are a summons to action. Muslims must translate these doctrines into practical behavior. The ayah of the last day, when people will find that their wealth cannot save them, should make Muslims examine their conduct here and now: Are they behaving kindly and fairly to the needy? They must imitate the generosity of Allah, who created the wonders of this world so munificently and sustains it so benevolently. At first, the religion was known as tazakka (“refinement”). By looking after the poor compassionately, freeing their slaves, and performing small acts of kindness on a daily, hourly basis, Muslims would acquire a responsible, caring spirit, purging themselves of pride and selfishness. By modeling their behavior on that of the Creator, they would achieve spiritual refinement

A NYT article on an exhibition about the Convivencia in Spain [711–1492] adds some background and evidence of this period of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian harmony. Ancient wisdom about living well, modelling the nature of God, is a foundation for harmony and tolerance that we need to share with the world.

References


(n.d.). Proverbs chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 24, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/proverbs/3
(n.d.). Luke chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 24, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/8:10
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 24, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 25th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/