It should be no surprise to anyone that God’s way of thinking about things is vastly different from humankind’s way of thinking about things. The Book of Wisdom reminds us of this vast difference: Who can conceive what the Lord intends? For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. God’s wisdom is not our wisdom, but the author of the Book of Wisdom knew that God does at times give wisdom and send his holy spirit from on high. The wise person, therefore, remains open to God’s guidance and will, attentive to God’s revelation; he moves through life accompanied by God so that he might participate in the ongoing miracle that is life in God. His path is straight because God walks with him and he walks with God. The author of Psalm 90 knows this: In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. The psalmist asks the Lord to teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart; with such wisdom, the psalmist hopes to see as God sees, with a changed vision, a changed perspective.
Jesus’ wisdom is no less challenging, both to his disciples and to us. It’s hard for just about anyone to get his head around Jesus’ statement in Luke’s Gospel that If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. But his is a radical call to discipleship; we are called to surrender all in order to follow. If we do so, if we choose Christ first, then everything important will come, including solid relationships with family members, because our connections will be in Christ. Like the king marching into battle, we must know what tactics are necessary for success in advance, and in the case of Jesus, that success comes through the cross, through sacrifice and renunciation. We can only understand such a request if we have wisdom of heart, if we seek to see with God’s vision rather than our own. Likewise, Paul urges Philemon, his beloved co-worker in Christ, to see the slave Onesimus with new eyes, to see him no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother. Philemon would have to sacrifice some aspects of his relationship with Onesimus, but he would choose to do so for his friend Paul, and also for Christ.
We sometimes lose sight of all that Christ calls us to. But if we strive to see as the Lord sees, if we open to God’s wisdom and allow him to fill us with his kindness, we will be laying a firm foundation of faith, our eye ever on the prize that is eternal life.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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