Spirit of Wisdom and Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, invite us to ponder the Wisdom, Faith, Hope and Love that we experience as gifts that Jesus declared we receive through our experience of the Spirit of God on our journey.

Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_The_Gonzaga_Family_Worshipping_the_Holy_Trinity

The reading from the Book of Proverbs presents The Discourse on Wisdom.

* [8:22–31] Wisdom is of divine origin. She is represented as existing before all things (vv. 22–26), when God planned and created the universe, adorning it with beauty and variety, and establishing its wonderful order (vv. 27–30). The purpose of the two cosmogonies (vv. 22–26 and 27–31) is to ground Wisdom’s claims. The first cosmogony emphasizes that she was born before all else (and so deserving of honor) and the second underscores that she was with the Lord during the creation of the universe. The pre-existence of Woman Wisdom with God is developed in Sir 24 and in New Testament hymns to Christ, especially in Jn 1 and Col 1:15–20.

* [8:23] Formed: since the other verbs of the origin of Wisdom in these verses describe birth, it is likely that the somewhat uncertain verb is to be understood of birth as in Ps 139:13.

* [8:24–26] Perhaps the formless mass from which God created the heavens and the earth; cf. Gn 1:1–2; 2:4–6.

* [8:30] Artisan: the translation of the Hebrew word ’āmôn has been controverted since antiquity. There have been three main opinions: (1) artisan; (2) trustworthy (friend); (3) ward, nursling. The most likely explanation is that ’āmôn is artisan, related to Akkadian ummānu, legendary sages and heroes who brought divine gifts and culture to the human race. I was his delight: the chiastic or ABBA structure of vv. 30–31 unifies the four lines and underscores the analogy between Woman Wisdom’s intimate relation to the Lord and her intimate relation to human beings, i.e., “delight” + “playing” parallels “playing” + “delight.” She is God’s friend and intimate and invites human beings to a similar relationship to God through her. (Proverbs, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 8 marvells at the limitless grandeur of God.

* [Psalm 8] While marvelling at the limitless grandeur of God (Ps 8:2–3), the psalmist is struck first by the smallness of human beings in creation (Ps 8:4–5), and then by the royal dignity and power that God has graciously bestowed upon them (Ps 8:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 8, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans proclaims Faith, Hope, and Love.

* [5:1–11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf. Jn 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Rom 1–3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Rom 5:10. Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5). (Romans, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus proclaims the Coming of the Advocate.

* [16:13] Declare to you the things that are coming: not a reference to new predictions about the future, but interpretation of what has already occurred or been said. (John, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)

Gladyce Janky cites “The Slow Work of God,” Pierre Teil­hard de Chardin (1881−1955) prayer of Teil­hard de Chardin - Igna­t­ian Spir­i­tu­al­i­ty as she comments:

Jesus tells us his min­istry does not end with his death as he will send the Spir­it of Truth.  He assures us we can trust the advocate’s voice by say­ing every­thing that the Father has is mine; for this rea­son, I told you that he (Spir­it of Truth) will take from what is mine and declare it to you.  Said a lit­tle dif­fer­ent­ly, God’s life-giv­ing and self-rev­e­la­tion hap­pen dai­ly with­in the con­crete cir­cum­stances of our lives.  The invi­ta­tion is to sit qui­et­ly so we can hear the voice of the Holy Spir­it, who lives in us, and, as Ignatius teach­es, seek to Find God in All Things. 

As with the dis­ci­ples, Jesus knows life in this cen­tu­ry includes chal­lenges.  He hopes I will rely on my faith to nav­i­gate through each day, not expect­ing cer­tain­ty of what is to come.   Amid the world’s chaos, Jesus assures me that I am not an orphan, as the Holy Spir­it con­stant­ly invites and sup­ports me (and all of cre­ation) to live in a rela­tion­ship with God. (Janky, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “The Mystery of the Holy Spirit,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"John tells us that all things came into being through the Son who is God the Word abiding with you, Father, from the beginning. Paul in his turn enumerates the things created in the Son, both visible and invisible, in heaven and on earth. And while he is specific about all that was created in and through Christ, of the Holy Spirit he considers it enough simply to say that he is your Spirit.Therefore I concur with those chosen men in thinking that just as it is not expedient for me to venture beyond my mental limitation and predicate anything of your only-begotten Son except that, as those witnesses have assured us, he was born of you, so it is not fitting for me to go beyond the power of human thought and the teaching of those same witnesses by declaring anything regarding the Holy Spirit other than that he is your Spirit. Rather than waste time in a fruitless war of words, I would prefer to spend it in the firm profession of an unhesitating faith.

"I beg you therefore, Father, to preserve in me that pure and reverent faith and to grant that to my last breath I may testify to my conviction. May I always hold fast to what I publicly professed in the creed when I was baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. May I worship you, the Father of us all, and your Son together with you, and may I be counted worthy to receive your Holy Spirit who through your only Son proceeds from you. For me there is sufficient evidence for this faith in the words 'Father, all that I have is yours, and all that is yours is mine,' spoken by Jesus Christ my Lord who remains, in and from and with you, the God who is blessed for endless ages. Amen." (excerpt from ON THE TRINITY 12.55-57) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 16:12-15 comments that we know intellectually that God is love (1 John 4:8), but the Spirit helps us experience the immensity of that love. He shows us that we are the apple of God’s eye, beloved from before time began. He shows us the love that moved the Father to give us his Son, so that we might live with him forever.

Jesus reassured his disciples that the Spirit “will speak what he hears” (John 16:13). On this special feast, let the Spirit speak a word of reassurance to you about our mysterious, awe-inspiring God. You will never fully grasp the mystery of the Trinity, but you can be grasped by it. You can know God and the love he is pouring out into your heart—today!

“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I will praise you forever!” (Meditation on John 16:12-15, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the hymn to Wisdom in Proverbs from a time when God was understood to be at the other end of the universe. Wisdom presents a model of how things should be done based on being a crafts person at Creation. The Chapter from Romans begins with the declaration of our justification by faith, Justification is understood to be peace with God by having trust in the Love of God witnessed on the Cross. The passage from Romans reminds us that even afflictions and difficulties can strengthen faith. Friar Jude notes that the Gospel John in Jesus' Last Supper Discourse speaks of the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, who glorifies the Truth of Jesus and is the Love between Father and Son.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares coming to appreciate Walter Burghardt’s definition of contemplation as “a long loving look at the real” that became transformative for him. The world, Fr. Richard’s own issues and hurts, all his goals and desires gradually dissolved and fell into proper perspective. God became obvious and ever present. He understood what Thomas Merton meant when he said, “The gate of heaven is everywhere.” 

I tried to keep a journal of what was happening to me. Back then, I found it particularly hard to cry. But one evening I laid my finger on my cheek and found to my surprise that it was wet. I wondered what those tears meant. What was I crying for? I wasn’t consciously sad or consciously happy. I noticed at that moment that behind it all there was a joy, deeper than any private joy. It was a joy in the face of the beauty of being, a joy at all the wonderful and lovable people I had already met in my life. Cosmic or spiritual joy is something we participate in; it comes from elsewhere and flows through us. It has little or nothing to do with things going well in our own life at that moment. I remember thinking that this must be why the saints could rejoice in the midst of suffering. 

At the same moment, I experienced exactly the opposite emotion. The tears were at the same time tears of an immense sadness—a sadness at what we’re doing to the earth, sadness about the people whom I had hurt in my life, and sadness too at my own mixed motives and selfishness. I hadn’t known that two such contrary feelings could coexist. I was truly experiencing the nondual mind of contemplation. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are grateful for the inspiration of the Spirit that invites us to contemplate our experiences of closeness to the Divine as we encounter Love through our faith and hope in Jesus Way.

References

Janky, G. (2025, June 14). Daily Reflection June 15, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-15-2025 

John, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/16?12 

Meditation on John 16:12-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/06/15/1306456/ 

Proverbs, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/proverbs/8?22 

Psalms, PSALM 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/8?4 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Tears of Joy and Sadness. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/tears-of-joy-and-sadness/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Spirit Will Guide You into All the Truth. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jun15 

Sufficient for the Mission

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to do an inventory of Providence in our life and respond with confidence in activating our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.

Prepared for the Mission

The reading from the Book of Proverbs declares Sufficiency in God.

* [30:5–6] Verse 5, like the confession of the king in Ps 18:31 (and its parallel, 2 Sm 22:31), expresses total confidence in the one who rescues from death. Agur has refused a word from any other except God and makes an act of trust in God.

* [30:7–9] A prayer against lying words and for sufficiency of goods, lest reaction to riches or destitution lead to offenses against God. (Proverbs, CHAPTER 30 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 praises the Glories of God’s Law.

* [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. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus describes the Mission of the Twelve.

* [9:1–6] Armed with the power and authority that Jesus himself has been displaying in the previous episodes, the Twelve are now sent out to continue the work that Jesus has been performing throughout his Galilean ministry: (1) proclaiming the kingdom (Lk 4:43; 8:1); (2) exorcising demons (Lk 4:33–37, 41; 8:26–39) and (3) healing the sick (Lk 4:38–40; 5:12–16, 17–26; 6:6–10; 7:1–10, 17, 22; Lk 8:40–56).

* [9:3] Take nothing for the journey: the absolute detachment required of the disciple (Lk 14:33) leads to complete reliance on God (Lk 12:22–31).

* [9:5] Shake the dust from your feet: see note on Mt 10:14. (Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that Luke 9:1-6 - tells that these faithful followers were asked by Jesus to carry on his work: to go forth to proclaim the Kingdom of God, and heal the sick.  They were apparently not to fear having been acquainted with the man who had been singled out for ridicule, torture and death; rather, they were to claim Christ, proclaim Christ, and continue the work of Christ.

 

I had the good fortune last year to travel to Greece; while there I visited a site on the Aegean Island of Patmos named The Holy Cave of the Apocalypse. This holy place is reported to be where the Apostle John had been exiled following Christ’s death, and where he wrote (recorded?) the Book of Revelations. My brief time there challenged me to reflect on the ways in which I experience Christ and live out his teachings; today’s reading returned me to that place and those reflections.  Do I willingly and with joy spread God's word?  Do I give what I can to heal the hunger, sickness, or broken spirits of others?  How do I carry on, generations and centuries later and in my own small way, Jesus’ request of his closest and most trusted followers? Am I worthy to call myself Christian when I fall short?

Today I pray for each of us to have a faith that is strong enough to burn within us the desire to fulfill this simple call: to claim Christ in our lives and to heal others.  We can actualize the call by telling his story and giving freely of ourselves to others who need our light and our love. Amen. (Grassmeyer, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus gave power and authority to his apostles,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)

"The grace bestowed upon the holy apostles is worthy of all admiration. But the bountifulness of the Giver surpasses all praise and admiration. He gives them, as I said, his own glory. They receive authority over the evil spirits. They reduce to nothing the pride of the devil that was so highly exalted and arrogant. They render ineffectual the demon's wickedness. By the might and efficacy of the Holy Spirit, burning them as if they were on fire, they make the devil come forth with groans and weeping from those whom he had possessed... He glorified his disciples, therefore, by giving them authority and power over the evil spirits and over sicknesses. Did he honor them without reason and make them famous without any logical cause? How can this be true? It was necessary, most necessary, that they should be able to work miracles, having been publicly appointed ministers of sacred proclamations. By means of their works, they then could convince men that they were the ministers of God and mediators of all beneath the heaven. The apostles then could invite them all to reconciliation and justification by faith and point out the way of salvation and of life that is this justification." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 47) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:1-6 comments that we are called to travel light because our Father is trustworthy; we can depend on him to give us what we need. We are often tempted to misplace our trust and overstuff our bags with things we think will bring us security, like our possessions, human acclaim, or worldly success. But these “treasures” weigh us down and keep us from trusting the Lord. In the end, they make our journey more difficult. In contrast, the more loosely we hold onto these treasures, the more we will experience God’s faithfulness and provision.

This is especially true when God invites us to share our faith or to be generous with our finances. When our confidence comes from human esteem, we can dread initiating a conversation about Jesus because we fear rejection. Or when we find security in money, sharing our resources with someone in need feels too risky. But when we trust in God to provide for us, we have peace in our hearts and can reach out with words of hope.

So what’s weighing you down today? Whether it’s material possessions, the pursuit of success, or the burdens of life, Jesus invites you to ponder, Is this necessary? Or will it just weigh me down?

God provided for the disciples as they went out to preach the gospel—and he will provide for you.

“Lord, I surrender all my burdens to you.” (Meditation on Luke 9:1-6, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the wisdom sayings from Proverbs that seek neither poverty nor riches that may lead to stealing or arrogance. Jesus sends the Twelve to Proclaim the Law and Love of God trusting in Providence to meet their needs. Friar Jude notes Luke, the physician, may have seen disease as demonic.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Mirabai Starr who writes about mysticism we can experience in the “monasteries” of our everyday lives. Starr encourages us to commit to discovering the hidden depths of love in mundane situations:  

You can start right here, in the middle of your messy life. Your beautiful, imperfect, perfect life. There is no other time, and the exact place you find yourself is the best place to enter. Despite what they might have taught you at Bible Camp or in yoga class, you are probably not on your way to some immaculate state in which you will eventually be calm and kindly enough to be worthy of a direct encounter with the divine. Set your intention to uncover the jewels buried in the heart of what already is. Choose to see the face of God in the face of the bus driver and the moody teenager, in peeling a tangerine or feeding the cat. Decide. Mean it. Open your heart, and then do everything you can to keep it open. Light every candle in the room…. (Rohr, n.d.)

We may be restricted by a sense of not being fully prepared for or worthy of our mission even as we sense the nudges of the Spirit to witness our relationship with Christ in our actions of truth, compassion, and love today.

References

Grassmeyer, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved September 25, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/092524.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 25, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9? 

Meditation on Luke 9:1-6. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 25, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/09/25/1080512/ 

Proverbs, CHAPTER 30 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 25, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/proverbs/30?5 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 25, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Orienting Toward the Sacred. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 25, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/orienting-toward-the-sacred/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 25, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=sep25