Homily: 7th Week of Ordinary Time - Wednesday - The Holy Spirit's Gift of Wisdom

As you may recall, there are seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude and Fear of the Lord.

Today’s reading from Sirach speaks of the love of Wisdom, that the “one who loves wisdom loves life”. 

Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, in fact, it is called the first and highest Gift of the Holy Spirit—infusing life and love into our souls and helping us to love as we ought.

Wisdom helps us put our lives in the proper order.  We would call someone foolish who doesn’t go to church, who ignores the commandments, who lives for pleasure, riches, fame, or power.  His priorities are not in order.  The wise man has his priorities straight, and judges rightly the things of earth in relation to his eternal end—he is able to put earthly things, wealth and power, properly at the service of God.

The gift of Wisdom is like an instinct that leads one to divine things and alerts one to the dangers of earthly things.  By this gift the world is defeated and its folly clearly perceived.  And, as one grows in wisdom, divine truths begin to resonate with him; he savors the knowledge of God and delights in doing his Will even when it requires sacrifice. 

Our love of neighbor is also perfected by it since the Gift of Wisdom helps us to see and thus love others more and more as God sees and loves them.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are in fact gifts, meaning we cannot learn them or acquire them through human means, we simply receive them from the Holy Spirit.    Since wisdom is one of the most precious gifts, we must long for it ardently, beg for it insistently, and pursue it with untiring efforts.

The study Scripture and Tradition can help dispose one for the growth of the Gift.  Prayer, of course, as well, helps to dispose the soul to render it more docile to the action and gift-giving of the Holy Spirit.

To become wise, you must love (Sir 4:12), seek (Sir 4:12), hold fast to (Sir 4:13), serve (Sir 4:14), obey (Sir 4:15), hearken to (Sir 4:15), trust (Sir 4:16), and walk with (Sir 4:17) wisdom.

The “one who loves wisdom loves life and those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.”  May we seek and live by God’s wisdom today, that we may serve God as we are meant to and be pleasing to him in all things this day for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.