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 the very opening verses of Sirach
chapter 1 speaks of one of those gifts in particular: wisdom. 5 times in 11
verses he speaks of wisdom.
Sirach was a teacher, a rabbi from Jerusalem, who lived
200 years before the birth of the Lord. And the book of Sirach is a collection
of teachings the rabbi wrote down for his students on various aspects of life.
Sirach offers teachings on parenting, marriage, the use of money, politeness,
how to stand firm against your enemies, proper use of the tongue, how to avoid
sins of the flesh, the duties we have toward the poor, how, as religious people
we are to relate to society and the state, and most of all toward God.
But Sirach begins his book, with the words we heard today: “all wisdom comes
from the Lord.” Sirach wants his students to know, that he’s not just offering
his opinions about these matters. He’s know just offering a collection of his
own musings. He’s applying wisdom that he has received from God to help the
younger generation order their lives. God has given wisdom, that we might live
by wisdom. God
has given us a capacity for wisdom. But it’s up to us to seek out wisdom, and
to apply wisdom to our lives.
God
has given us wisdom to help us get our priorities straight in this life so that
we might live in a godly way on earth so that we might be with him in heaven.
Wisdom enables us to judge the things of earth in relation to our heavenly end.
The Lord himself says, “seek first the kingdom of God.” That is wise. Because
if we aren’t seeking the kingdom of God first and foremost, we might not end up
there.
Wisdom. Wisdom must order all of our conduct. We are to
avoid foolishness in our use of time, and money, and the use of our free will. And
we need to be about the business of always growing in this gift, nurturing the
gift of wisdom, seeking to grow in wisdom, we must long for it ardently, beg for
it insistently, and pursue it with untiring efforts.
The
study Scripture and Tradition and the teachings and examples of the saints dispose
us to wisdom. Prayer, of course, in which we humble ourselves before God helps
to dispose us to growth as well. For a prideful soul, that refuses to kneel
before God, lacks the fundamental disposition for growing in wisdom.
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.
Sirach says “one who loves wisdom loves life and those
who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.”
As we prepare for the great season of prayer, fasting,
and almsgiving in Lent, let us make use of the gift of wisdom to identify those
habits and attachments that keep us from walking with the Lord in all things.
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.
- - - - -
That
the Holy Spirit may embolden us in our Christian mission and help us to put our
physical, intellectual, and spiritual gifts more fully in God’s service.
That
the upcoming season of Lent may be a time of profound renewal for our parish and
the Church as we engage in the penitential practices of prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving.
For
the success of the work of Catholic Charities in our diocese: for generous
hearts in meeting the needs of the poor, downtrodden, and suffering.
For
all those impacted by the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, for the
victims of the earthquakes in Turkey, for the defense of our nation from all
threats foreign and domestic, for those who struggle because of addiction,
mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, inclement weather, or ongoing
trials of any kind.
For
the deceased members of our family and friends and parish, for the souls in purgatory,
and for…
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject
to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the
prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.
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