Wisdom gives life

 

Welcome to my blog. Peace be with you.

Of all the gifts of God, the most necessary is wisdom. Wisdom lights up our life and brings it to fruition. Love is the noblest of gifts, but without the wisdom of God, we will not know what love is. Wisdom is Jesus himself. Substitute in the first reading ‘Jesus’ for wisdom and you will see what I mean.

To know Jesus is the only possession in this life that will last forever. All the rest will pass away. Through him, however, everyone and everything will be given eternal life and joy.

Sunday 8 November 2020

Wisdom gives life

 

First reading

Wisdom 6:12-16 ·

Wisdom (JESUS) is found by those who look for (HIM) her

Wisdom (Jesus) is bright, and does not grow dim.

By those who love him (her) she (Jesus) is readily seen,

and found by those who look for him (her).

Quick to anticipate those who desire him (her), (she) he makes (herself) himself known to them.

Watch for her (Jesus) early and you will have no trouble;

you will find her (Jesus) sitting at your gates.

Even to think about her (Jesus) is understanding fully grown;

be on the alert for her (Jesus) and anxiety will quickly leave you.

She (Jesus) (herself) himself walks about looking for those who are worthy of him (her)

and graciously shows himself (herself) to them as they go,

in every thought of theirs coming to meet them.

 

What is wisdom? Jesus is the personification of the wisdom of God. The wisdom and love of God have appeared in this world in Jesus. Through him, we learn to see life and everyone and everything in it as God sees it. How do we learn wisdom? We come to know Jesus through the prayerful reading of the Divine Word. Jesus, himself, is the mediator and guide.

Gospel

Matthew 25:1-13

The wise and foolish virgins

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

 

Let me imagine that I am now on my death bed. The end has come. I can do nothing more. I can’t change anything I have done or improve on anything. I look back on my life. what will I be happy about? What will make me sad? What will I regret? ‘I wish I had done that? Or I wish I had done this?’ what is the oil I wish I had brought with me now the bridegroom is here? There will be no time to go and buy it. I must buy it now?

Death is the end of this life and everything in it. It is the definitive closing of everything we know, love and have experienced. It is painful and saddening. But when death is over begins the new and eternal life. It is to be the nuptial relationship with God in the family of the saints, people consumed by love, through my relationship with Jesus. This is something beyond our thought or imagination in this life. I will only understand it when I experience it.

My regrets will be that I did not get to know Jesus better, that I did not spend more time with him in a loving presence, that I did not work to please him in my every thought, word, and deed. In a word, it will be that I did not live for him consciously at every moment of my life.

 

How am I to remedy this now? That is the question.

 

Since it is all a matter of faith and no sight or indeed of any sensory experience, I can easily forget it and get involved with the visible and immediate. Therefore, I must always keep this in the forefront of my mind. I must, in faith, spend as much time as I can with him each day. I must listen to him speaking to me. This I must do through meditation on his Word in the Scriptures. They are a springboard for him to speak personally to me and for me to listen. Then I must interact with others and work to please him alone.

Since I can easily be side-tracked, I must examine myself each day as to whether I have done this or done other things which will later cause me to be depressed and sad. Did I focus on loving him throughout the day?

Even so, I am sure I will feel, when that moment comes, that I could have done more. That is the nature of lovers. But I am not the only one who sees my life. He also sees it. Although a lover may wish to do more for the beloved, he/she can only do what they can. What they can’t do the loved one will make up.