Thirty-Second Friday in Ordinary Time
It is not science; it is not smartness; it is not cleverness. Wisdom, according to Scripture, is a person. “I, Wisdom, dwell with experience, and judicious knowledge I attain” (Ws 8:1). She is known as Lady Wisdom, portrayed as a bride, bedecked with jewels (Ps 45), covered in the gold of Ophir, a woman of valor and honor (Prov 31:10). Beloved by her King Who seeks to make her his own, not by force, but by self-sacrifice.
Wisdom, Self-giving Love, grants her understanding and counsel to anyone who seeks her, anticipating the wonder and awe to be awarded. She sits at our door, knocking and inviting us to let her in. She inspires our desires. She illuminates our minds. She transfigures our hearts because
Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, (Wis 6:11–14).
Yet, Wisdom does not award her treasures without tests. All true love tests the other, and those seeking will come to know the real value of the gift only after the trial. Wisdom, valued beyond any value, is inestimable, ineffable, and indescribable yet speaks her Words in the silence of the heart, challenging our wills. Not to discourage us, but Wisdom purifies us. As gold tested in the furnace so our wills and minds will be tested to ensure we are worthy to receive such a treasure.
St. John Paul II knew Lady Wisdom and sought her throughout his life. Rising early every morning, praying and meditating, opening his heart, he received her. Insights, abilities, preaching, teaching, and traveling, he changed the face of the earth. From his meditations, he, describing Wisdom, unveils what Wisdom is and does:
“Wisdom" is not mere intelligence or practical ability, but rather a participation in the very mind of God who "with his wisdom [has] established man" (cf. v. 2). Thus it is the ability to penetrate the deep meaning of being, of life and of history, going beyond the surface of things and events to discover their ultimate meaning, willed by the Lord (John Paul II General Audience 29 January 2003).
In the Old Testament, Wisdom was personified as the bride, yet in the New Testament, a change takes place. At the Incarnation, Jesus comes as Wisdom Incarnate. He displays Himself not as the bride, but as the Bridegroom (Eph 5:21-23). Christ is the Bridegroom. He comes born of a woman, born into time, conceived by the Holy Spirit to reveal his love for his bride. We, his church and his bride (Eph 5:23), readily receive his love for we know how powerful and precious He is.
Jesus, wiser than Solomon, is the font of Wisdom Who enlightens our minds with his truth. He is greater than the temple, the place of the Divine Presence revealing the beauty and splendor of true love. He, the Bridegroom, comes to redeem his bride who has been defiled by the false wisdoms of the world.
Questioning and wondering if he is the Messiah, no one had a real sense of who Jesus was. Yet, as Wisdom Incarnate, Jesus unleashes a Spirit that is not of human but divine origin. Nicodemus knew this telling us, “We know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him” (Jn 3:2). He comes curing those born blind, giving walk to the lame, healing the lepers, and even raising the dead. But Jesus’ greatest work is not the physical, but the spiritual healings. He forgives the paralyzed man, telling him his sins are forgiven and to take up his mat and go home (Mark 2:5). He heals the lame man who for 38 years sat groveling because of his sinfulness. Yet, Jesus tells him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you” (Jn 5:14). So too with the adulterous woman. He does not condemn her, but tells her, “Go, and do not sin again” (Jn 8:11). Jesus, a man, forgives sin because He is also God.
As God, Jesus displays Divine Wisdom touching humanity where it suffers the most. Our greatest loss is not death. Our greatest pain is not a broken heart. Our greatest fear is not evil or even demonic. Our greatest tragedy is the loss of Divine Wisdom, our participation in God’s life and love. Without it we are deaf, dumb, and blind.
Without Wisdom, we too grovel in our sinfulness and seduce ourselves with earthly seductions. We distort life by giving loyalty to earthly realities, rather than heavenly. We become unwise as the five bridesmaids were. Foolish, they encountered Wisdom, but did not relate. They lacked an intimate, bonding relationship forgetting to stay prepared in good and bad times, in sickness and in health, and did not have any commitment beyond the moment. Enjoying Wisdom, they possessed a superficial even self-serving relationship. This mindset states, I achieve what I want, not what Christ wants.
In this worldly wisdom, many acknowledge Jesus when He is convenient and useful. We take advantage of the opportunities He offers. Yet, when Wisdom demands putting responsibility and accountability upon us to protect and promote our relationship with Wisdom, we, as did the bridesmaids, turn away. There was not enough attraction to bond completely and totally, only superficially.
Searching for Divine Wisdom is difficult especially when we are steeped in the folly of human selfishness. We exhaust ourselves searching for solutions—short-cuts—that merely sedate our longings. Fooled by the false, we fail to commit and embrace the discipline demanded to be in relationship with Wisdom. Nevertheless, Jesus tests us, inviting us to change, mature, and sacrifice revealing how precious his friendship is.
Those enamored by the beauty, splendor, and majesty of Wisdom pray, as Jesus tells us to pray. We ask, seek, and knock to find Wisdom. Wisdom comes and we receive the gift of sight, not physical, but we receive the eyes of faith to behold the ever presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. We receive the gift of insight, not to read the signs of the times, but to read the mind of God, revealing truths that set us free. We have ears to hear, not the false wisdom of the world, but the ears to hear the Word of God and live in the Kingdom, knowing thy will be done. Wisdom is the Light that illuminates our way, begetting a rich and abundant life. Wisdom brings a vibrancy and vividness to penetrate the depths of life, freeing us from the darkness and opening vistas into eternity. Wisdom infuses love into our hearts transforming them in the crucible of life so that all that is left is purity, power, and perfection.
Wisdom is not free. It comes at a price, the same price that Jesus paid to give us Wisdom. That price was Himself. He freely, faithfully, and fully gave himself to us, as Bridegroom, humbling Himself obediently, suffering, even dying on the cross. If we want the fulness of Wisdom, we too need to humble ourselves, sacrificing our wants for his.
The foolish bridesmaids, enchanted by the Bridegroom, Wisdom Incarnate, refused to give of themselves totally as Jesus gave of Himself. Their hearts burned away their desire to be united with Him. They failed to cultivate and invigorate the love—represented by the oil—He poured into their hearts. They exhausted their desires chasing after fantasies and follies. But when the Bridegroom comes, they long to belong; yet He does not know them. He cannot recognize them for they did not acknowledge Him. They did not love Him faithfully, nor did they identify with Him.
The other bridesmaids knew Wisdom, lived, breathed, and cherished Him. They accepted Him not merely as a Savior, but as the Love of their life. Anticipating and expecting, they longed to give their lives to Him for they treasured their Beloved more than they treasured themselves. This becomes the insight of the Parable.
Wisdom is treasured more than pearls and precious stones, for that is what they are—objects. To value an object, even a created person, above Wisdom, we will never enter the depth and breath, nor height and intricacy of Wisdom. Anything and everything will separate us from Wisdom and everything and anything demanded by Wisdom will seem too extreme.
Because of this propensity—to doubt Wisdom, St. James tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him” (Jas 1:5). Prayer, that intimate dialogue with Wisdom, binds us so profoundly, nothing separates us from Wisdom for we consecrate—set apart—everything in our lives that does not come from Wisdom nor lead us back to Wisdom.
St. John Paul II, coming to America to preach to his people, tells us the beauty, wonder, and awe of Wisdom calling us to open the lock upon our heart so Wisdom may enter and abide:
To be a Christian means to go up to the mountain to which Christ leads us. To enter into the temple of the living God that is formed in us and in our midst by the Holy Spirit. To be Christian means to continue to become Christian, learning from Christ the ways of the Lord so as to be able “to walk in his paths” (Cfr. Is. 2:3). To be a Christian means to become one every day, ascending spiritually towards Christ and following him. In fact, as we recall, when Christ first called those who were to become his disciples, he said to them: “Follow me” (John Paul II Homily Friday, 18 September 1987).