The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to assess our wisdom in our possible pursuit of false riches that separate us from the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Word for full Life.
The reading from the Book of Wisdom proclaims Solomon’s Respect for Wisdom
Psalm 90 declares God’s Eternity and Human Frailty.
* [Psalm 90] A communal lament that describes only in general terms the cause of the community’s distress. After confidently invoking God (Ps 90:1), the Psalm turns to a complaint contrasting God’s eternity with the brevity of human life (Ps 90:2–6) and sees in human suffering the punishment for sin (Ps 90:7–12). The Psalm concludes with a plea for God’s intervention (Ps 90:13–17). (Psalms, PSALM 90 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews celebrates the Word of God.
f. [4:12] Wis 18:15–16; Is 49:2; Eph 6:17; Rev 1:16; 2:12.
g. [4:13] Jb 34:21–22; Ps 90:8; 139:2–4. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus advises the Rich Man.
* [10:18] Why do you call me good?: Jesus repudiates the term “good” for himself and directs it to God, the source of all goodness who alone can grant the gift of eternal life; cf. Mt 19:16–17.
* [10:23–27] In the Old Testament wealth and material goods are considered a sign of God’s favor (Jb 1:10; Ps 128:1–2; Is 3:10). The words of Jesus in Mk 10:23–25 provoke astonishment among the disciples because of their apparent contradiction of the Old Testament concept (Mk 10:24, 26). Since wealth, power, and merit generate false security, Jesus rejects them utterly as a claim to enter the kingdom. Achievement of salvation is beyond human capability and depends solely on the goodness of God who offers it as a gift (Mk 10:27). (Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Steve Scholer asks what exactly does wisdom look like? According to numerous studies, key attributes found in wise people include:
Self-knowledge, knowing your strengths and weaknesses and in which direction your moral compass is pointed.
A willingness to look at the world from another’s point of view and consider how that view influences their life and decisions.
Reserving judgment or decisions until the issues have been identified and thoroughly discussed.
Living a life rich in experiences – both positive and negative – and then being able to reflect upon those experiences as resources to guide future actions.
Practicing humility, knowing that to grow in wisdom, we must continue to learn each day, whether it be through study or interactions with other people.
For those of us who wish to be wise, the list might seem daunting, but upon closer examination, are not these characteristics very similar to those we try to embody in our daily lives as practicing Catholics?
Through prayer and reflection, we ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses and guide us to make better decisions. Do we not strive to be more understanding of those around us whose views differ radically from ours, not judging them, but rather, seeing and loving them as neighbors, as Jesus instructed us to do? When we give of our time, talent, and treasure to help those less fortunate, do we not use those experiences as building blocks, to enrich not only those we serve but also our own understanding? (Scholer, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Seek the life that endures,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The Lord said to a certain young man, 'If you would enter life, keep the commandments' (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18). He did not say 'If you would have life' but 'If you would enter life,' defining that life as eternal life. Let us first consider then the love of this life. For this life is loved, whatever its quality; and however troubled it is, however wretched, people are afraid to end it. Hence we should see, we should consider, how much eternal life is to be loved, when this miserable life that must at some time be ended is so loved. Consider, brothers, how much that life is to be loved when it is a life you never end. You love this life, where you work so much, run, are busy, pant. In this busy life the obligations can scarcely be counted: sowing, plowing, working new land, sailing, grinding, cooking, weaving. And after all this hard work your life comes to an end. Look at what you suffer in this wretched life that you so love. And do you think that you will always live and never die? Temples, rocks, marbles, all reinforced by iron and lead, still fall. And a person thinks that he will never die? Learn therefore, brothers, to seek eternal life, when you will not endure these things but will reign with God forever." (excerpt from SERMON 84.1.9) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-13 comments that none of us has to “go away sad” when we experience Jesus “reading” our hearts through the Scriptures. We can remember how Jesus looked at the man and know that that’s how he looks at all of us: with love! That means that you can hold fast to that love when his word uncovers the hidden “reflections and thoughts” in you (Hebrews 4:12). You can gaze into his eyes and see that he has nothing but good and hope-filled plans for you!
This is why the word of God is both living and effective. It’s living because it is capable of reading our hearts. And it’s effective because Jesus always speaks this word to us with love.
“Here I am, Lord! Let your word pierce me and draw me closer to you!” (Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-13, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Solomon prays for the attribute of God described as wisdom or prudence above all else. The Book of Wisdom is written in Greek, one of the last books that does not appear in the Jewish or Protestant Canon. The text from Hebrews resonates with the prologue of John’s Gospel and the understanding in Jewish culture that the Word is not merely symbolic but makes the object present in a mystical way. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus' use of Jewish exaggeration and warns us not to misunderstand that Jesus is not presenting a node to the “Gospel of Wealth”.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how understanding God as Creator impacts how we treat creation. If Christianity would have paid attention to the teachings and example of Jesus and St. Francis, our planet—“Sister Mother Earth,” as Francis called her—would perhaps be much healthier today. But it took until the 21st century for a pope to write an entire encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, making this quite clear and demanding. Pope Francis writes:
Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker” (Wisdom 13:5); indeed, “his eternal power and divinity have been made known through his works since the creation of the world” (Romans 1:20)…. The world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise. [1]
We don’t come to the God Mystery through concepts or theories; we come by connecting with what is—with God’s immediate, embodied presence which is all around us. Notice that almost all of Jesus’ common stories and examples are nature based and relationship based—never once theology or academic theory.
We have not recognized the one Body of Christ in creation. Perhaps we just didn’t have the readiness or training. First of all, there is the seeing, and then there is the recognizing; the second stage is called contemplation. We cannot afford to be unaware any longer. We must learn to see, listen, or touch and to recognize how broad and deep the Presence is if we are to truly care for our common home. (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate the true riches in our family, friends, and the created world and seek the guidance of the Spirit in our efforts to “convert” the tendency of the world to pursue wealth that separates, divides, and enables destruction of our common home.
References
Hebrews, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/4?12
Mark, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/10?17
Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/10/13/1103821/
Psalms, PSALM 90 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/90?12
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Infinite God, Infinite Life. Richard Rohr. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/infinite-god-infinite-life/
Scholer, S. (2024, October 13). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/101324.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Give - and You Will Have Treasure in Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=oct13
Wisdom, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/7?7 Wisdom, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/7?7
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