Homily: Friday of the 1st Week of Advent 2015 - O Come, thou Wisdom

In that wonderful Advent hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, the second verse begins asking God for Wisdom: O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who orderest all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

Wisdom is often symbolized by a lamp, shining in the darkness. For Wisdom helps us to see the right path. Wisdom helps us put our lives in the proper order.  Wisdom helps us to see things from God’s perspective, to value things as God does. We would call someone foolish who doesn’t go to church, who ignores the commandments, who lives only for pleasure, riches, fame, or power.  Ecclesiastes says, “The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness.”  Why is the fool in darkness? He lacks wisdom, his priorities are not in order. He values earthly treasure over his eternal life.  The wise man, on the other hand, has his priorities straight, his paths straight; the wise man judges rightly the things of earth in relation to his eternal end.

Advent is certainly a time of growing in the Lord’s wisdom. The great prophet of Advent, Isaiah, said there would be a time when “out of the gloom and darkness, the blind would see.” This is that time.  During Advent, those blinded by the darkness of error, foolishness, faithlessness, and sinfulness, are called to turn to the Lord for wisdom and light.

And what happens when the blind to the Lord for light? Saint Matthew tells us in the Gospel, that those recognizing their blindness, who call out to the Lord for pity, do receive sight.  Jesus, touches the eyes of the blind who present themselves to Him, and he gives them sight.

Our problem isn’t a shortage of blindness, we have plenty of that, don’t we: plenty of error, foolishness, faithlessness, and sinfulness, in abundance.  Our problem is that we fail to recognize this and present ourselves to the Lord.

Spiritual blindness is truly an epidemic—its symptoms are the erosion of the moral fabric of families and cultures, violent outbreaks, the neglect of the poor among us. It almost seems that in human history, humanity has never lacked wisdom so greatly! We are in need of Wisdom, we are in need of healing, we are in need of purity, more than ever.

How are we to grow in Wisdom this Advent?  Spend your time putting your life in order, considering what in the end really matters…Proverbs says, “tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.” Saint James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” During Advent, we wisely, make time for reflecting on the priorities of our life in light of Scripture and the teachings of the Saints.

And how are we to receive healing and purity this Advent? After reflecting on the priorities of our life, we go to confession. We confess those times when we foolishly turned away from the path of the Lord.  And like the blind men who cry out for pity in the Gospel today, when we cry out for the Lord’s pity in the sacrament of confession, healing, mercy, and forgiveness, are freely given.

This Advent, may we be purified of all that keeps us from seeing God.  May we be healed of our spiritual blindnesses, may the light of God’s wisdom eradicate the darkness of our foolishness, that we may bear the light of Christ to all those we meet, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.