The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the practices through which we become aware of the Wisdom of the Spirit as guide for our actions.
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| Wisdom as guide |
The reading from the First Book of Kings confirms God’s gift to Solomon of a wise and discerning mind.
* [3:1–15] The third major unit of the Solomon story depicts the bright beginning of his reign. It includes the narrator’s remarks about Solomon’s marriage and his building projects, and a divine appearance to Solomon. Compare 11:1–13, where the same themes recur, but in negative fashion. The story of the divine appearance is told also in 2 Chr 1:1–13.1
Psalm 119 praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by.
* [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.2
In the Gospel of Mark, physically feeding the five thousand follows the withdrawal of Jesus with his disciples to a desert place.
* [6:31–34] The withdrawal of Jesus with his disciples to a desert place to rest attracts a great number of people to follow them. Toward this people of the new exodus Jesus is moved with pity; he satisfies their spiritual hunger by teaching them many things, thus gradually showing himself the faithful shepherd of a new Israel; cf. Nm 27:17; Ez 34:15.3
Don Schwager quotes “The good shepherd feeds us with the words of God,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The pastures that this good shepherd has prepared for you, in which he has settled you for you to take your fill, are not various kinds of grasses and green things, among which some are sweet to the taste, some extremely bitter, which as the seasons succeed one another are sometimes there and sometimes not. Your pastures are the words of God and his commandments, and they have all been sown as sweet grasses. These pastures had been tasted by that man who said to God, 'How sweet are your words to my palate, more so than honey and the honeycomb in my mouth!' (Psalm 119:103)." (excerpt from Sermon 366.3)4
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 6:30-34 comments that perhaps this time of rest and prayer, even if it was just that short period in the boat, was exactly what allowed Jesus and his disciples to begin ministering to the people as soon as they reached the shore. Maybe it was like a spiritual “power nap.”
Just think: if even Jesus needed to balance his active ministry with physical rest and time for prayer, how much more do we? If you find yourself struggling to serve other people, maybe it’s because you’re too busy and not giving yourself enough time to rest and pray. Maybe you’ve gotten out of the habit of finding that “deserted place” in prayer so that you can be renewed and refreshed in the Holy Spirit.5
Friar Jude Winkler notes God was well pleased with the request of Solomon for Wisdom to serve others. The quiet place to recharge batteries is an essential part of our ministry. Friar Jude reminds us that, like Jesus example, the needs of the flock must take precedence over the rest of the Shepherd.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that while orthodoxy is about correct beliefs, orthopraxy is about right practice: doing the practices and living the lifestyles that end up changing our consciousness. Saint Francis of Assisi said to the first friars, “You only know as much as you do!” [1] Franciscan teaching, which is based in Scripture, has freed Fr. Richard and many others to live more embodied, loving lives. The Franciscans are not alone in their emphasis on practice. In his book “The 8 Laws of Change: How to Be an Agent of Personal and Social Transformation”, author Stephan A. Schwartz offers life-practices he gathered from observing the Quakers.
First Law. The individuals, individually, and the group, collectively, must share a common intention.
Second Law. The individuals and the group may have goals, but they may not have cherished outcomes.
Third Law. The individuals in the group must accept that their goals may not be reached in their lifetimes and be okay with this.
Fourth Law. The individuals in the group must accept that they may not get either credit or acknowledgment for what they have done and be authentically okay with this.
Fifth Law. Each person in the group, regardless of gender, religion, race, or culture, must enjoy fundamental equality, even as the various roles in the hierarchy of the effort are respected.
Sixth Law. The individuals in the group must foreswear violence in word, act, or thought.
Seventh Law. The individuals in the group and the group itself must make their private selves consistent with their public postures.
Eighth Law. The individuals in the group and the group collectively must always act from the beingness of life-affirming integrity. [2]6
Living the Way modeled by Jesus is a journey where action is guided by Wisdom of the Spirit that we often encounter through disciplines of rest and solidarity.
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