The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the characteristics of wisdom and creativity that bring truth, beauty and goodness to our life.
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| Seeking wisdom |
The reading from the Book of Wisdom outlines the perfect 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 1:15.1
Psalm 119 declares the world manifests the Word by its permanence and reliability.
* [119:89–91] God’s word creates the world, which manifests that word by its permanence and reliability.2
In the Gospel of Luke Jesus declares the coming of the Kingdom and remind us of the Day of the Son of Man.
* [17:21] Among you: the Greek preposition translated as among can also be translated as “within.” In the light of other statements in Luke’s gospel about the presence of the kingdom (see Lk 10:9, 11; 11:20) “among” is to be preferred.3
Barbara Dilly comments that Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of God is already with us, in every age.
I find that those who find wisdom in the statutes and ordinances of the Lord and who stand firm in those truths bear abundant fruits that reveal an “aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty.” Who are these people among us? They are surely everywhere if we look for them. The words in the reading of Wisdom are helpful to me in identifying these fruitful believers. There are those among us who demonstrate a spirit of wisdom and truth that is “intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, and certain.” This wisdom spirit is passed into holy souls from age to age and produces friends of God and prophets that we can surely find among us.4
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.]5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 17:20-25 comment that Jesus teaches us about the most powerful unseen force of all: the kingdom of God. He explains that the coming of this kingdom isn’t accompanied with a lot of fanfare, and many don’t notice it. Jesus’ humble coming in the flesh was the inauguration of the kingdom, and that was a very quiet beginning. But from that point on, everything began to change. The kingdom’s forces are now at work in a new way, and it’s only a matter of time before Jesus takes up his reign in a much more public way.
So we live in an “already, but not yet” time. God’s kingdom truly is among us, but it is not yet fully visible. This isn’t always easy for us. We want to see more; we want to experience more, but God is asking us to exercise our faith and to trust in his unseen presence and his invisible power. He wants us to live in hope—not a wistful denial of reality, but a sure and certain assurance that his kingdom truly is with us. We can be peaceful and trusting, secure in the knowledge that Jesus, our King, is in control, and we will eventually see him return in unmistakable glory.6
Friar Jude Winkler explains the superlative perfect description of Wisdom. The most perfect form of God’s Wisdom is Love given to those who seek her. Friar Jude reminds of the already but not yet eschatology of Luke.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that like contemporary theologian Dr. Diana L. Hayes, he has found healing through the creative process of writing. Dr Hayes writes:
I am a Catholic womanist, standing firmly in the shoes my mothers made for me and walking toward a future in which all of God’s creation will be recognized and affirmed regardless of race, class, gender, or sexual orientation. I am black. I am Catholic. And by the grace of God, I am here. I invite you to share my journey of self-discovery and faith. . . . My spirituality, a womanist spirituality, that is, a spirituality forged in the awareness and experience of the multiplicative forms of oppression that are used to limit and restrain black women, has been honed and sharpened by my journey with God throughout my life. . . . Womanist spirituality is the encounter of black women and Jesus spelled out in song, poetry, novels, and memoirs that speak of the everlasting struggle as they continue to move themselves and their people one step closer to the Promised Land, a land to be found after death, yes, but more important, a land they know has been promised in this life as well. [2]7
Living in the Kingdom of Love connects us to Wisdom personified in God and opens our Spirit to creative endeavour.
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