The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the gift of wisdom as a path to practice of love, forgiveness, and sacrifice for others.
Wisdom and Sacrifice
The reading from the Book of Wisdom shares the 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 praises the Glories of God’s Law.
* [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 discusses 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.3
Mike Cherney comments that Jesus responds to the Pharisees telling them that the kingdom of God is among them. The Pharisees were drawn to order, discipline, and ritual. Jesus tries to get people to recognize that what is important is the underlying spirituality rather than the structures. Mike can imagine himself as a very confused observer in the crowd.
Heavenly Father,
I am confronted with my predispositions, my biases, and my susceptibilities.
This is often compounded by favoring interactions with those having similar propensities.
I ask for the wisdom to overcome these tendencies.
Too often I find myself with the mindset of a pharisee.
Assist me in looking to a Messiah who defies expectations.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)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 17:20-25 comments that throughout Jesus’ ministry, he didn’t just talk about the kingdom of God. He also demonstrated it as he blessed, loved, forgave, healed, and served the people he was speaking to. His own life demonstrated the kingdom: he didn’t hold any grudges, put on airs, or distance himself from the poor and the needy. In fact, he went out of his way to welcome them and show them God’s mercy. He also taught about this way of relating through parables that highlighted forgiveness over vengeance and service over being served.
Today, think about how you can bring the kingdom of God into just one relationship. Look for an opportunity to encourage someone, to forgive, or to be an instrument of God’s presence. It doesn’t have to be dramatic and life changing. It just has to be upbuilding and life affirming. You are a citizen of God’s kingdom and an ambassador for Christ. That means that you can bring his presence wherever you go. You can make a difference! “Thank you, Lord, for making me a citizen of your kingdom. Empower me to be a blessing to everyone I meet today.”6
Friar Jude Winkler connects the text in Wisdom to the Greek image of God and the Hebrew expression of the superlative. The realized eschatology of Luke and John proclaims salvation when Jesus becomes a part of our life. Friar Jude reminds us to be ready for the end times.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, understands that Christian contemplation and Buddhist meditation share a common goal. Both seek to de-center the thinking mind to allow a deeper experience of truth, love, and compassion to emerge.
If we can truly love this, whatever this is, it becomes the gateway to everything. How we love one thing is finally how we love everything. We have to find our capacity to see, to love, to accept, to forgive, and to delight in one thing. If we can’t delight in one lizard or one leaf, we are not going to delight in God. How we see is how we see. How we do anything is how we do everything.7
On Remembrance Day in Canada, the ancestry record “Some Descendants of JAMES MACPHERSON of Fisher's Grant, Pictou County, Nova Scotia” compiled by J.Roger MacPherson outlines the military service of my grandfather and father. Hugh Reid MacPherson Sr. served briefly in the Army during WW 1, in the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. He was dragged by a horse in a training accident and seriously injured. It was then discovered that he was under age for service and he was discharged. In later years, those injuries required extensive surgery in Boston. Hugh Reid MacPherson Jr. graduated from Sydney Academy. He served in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps during WW 2, serving in NW Europe with the 8th N.B. Hussar's (Princess Louise's) . After the war, he returned to studies at Mt. Allison University and later graduated from Nova Scotia Technical College with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Our wisdom, gifted and guided by the Spirit, is a path to contemplation and action, in love, for others.
References
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