Everyday this week, the 32nd week of the year, we’re reading at Mass from the Book of Wisdom. the Bible’s wisdom literature –Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, Sirach– is not primarily spiritual wisdom or the high-level learning of graduate school. It’s wisdom from the school of everyday.
Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins from Matthew’s gospel is an example. Why didn’t the foolish virgins bring enough oil to the wedding like the wise virgins did? They didn’t learn from their own experience. Simple as that. (Matthew 24, 1-13)
Learn from your own life experience and the experience of others, the wisdom traditions says. Yes, God’s help is there, but God expects us to help ourselves, and we have to do that everyday.
“The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom; whatever else you get, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4,7)
Keep learning, from childhood to old age; it’s imperative. Search for wisdom every day, whether the day is easy or dark, whether there’s joy or suffering. (Book of Job)
The wisdom literature recognizes the search for wisdom is hard. We get fixated on things like success, careers, money, pleasure, health, politics, but the school of life is bigger than any of these.
The wisdom literature recognizes too that we’re drawn to a greater reality. “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” We’re made to wonder before what’s greater than we are. We’re not satisfied with small things. “Our hearts are restless, till they rest in you.”
“Resplendent and unfading is Wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her; one who watches for her at dawn will not be disappointed, for she will be found sitting at the gate.” (Wisdom 6, 12-14)
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