CHOOSE WISDOM – 20th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B
One of life’s mysteries is why people choose folly over wisdom, sin over virtue, falsehood over truth, ignorance over knowledge, greed over generosity, lust over love, violence over peace, the word of the world of sin over the Word of God, death over life.
It’s the mystery of sin. The consequences of original sin are darkened intellect, weakened will, disordered passions and emotions. These consequences, which act as forces in our life, are countered by the spiritual forces of grace, prayer, the keeping of the commandments, the Word of God, and receiving the bread of life of the Risen Lord in the Eucharist.
Since there is the pull on our nature of the consequences of original sin, and our own personal sin history, we have to seek out and respond to the forces of grace and means God provides for us, so that we find spiritual life instead of spiritual death. God’s grace and wisdom can help us to see contrasts and opposites, and their consequences. Good and evil, spiritual light and spiritual darkness, sin and virtue, worship and non-worship, praying and not praying, believing and not believing, faithfulness and unfaithfulness, healthy and unhealthy.
Without grace and prayer, we may only see some good in evil, and pursue it. We may fail to see where evil is taking us. An active and true conscience helps us to contrast wisdom and folly, freedom and slavery, good and evil. If one does not seek out the forces of grace, and the means God has provided for our nature, that person will not be able to think and act in light of opposites. They will get locked into a pattern of sin and bondage and be unable to see the opposite good that lead to spiritual wisdom and life.
It doesn’t do much good to claim to be Catholic, if one doesn’t really believe or practice the faith, does it? It doesn’t really do much good if one says they believe in prayer but never prays, does it? It doesn’t do much good if one says they are generous, yet they never give anything to anyone, does it? It doesn’t do one much good to say I believe in the Word of God, and never read or listen to it, does it?
The book of Proverbs imagines Wisdom as building a house, filling it with all kinds of goods, and sending out her maidens to invite people who lack understanding to come and eat her food and drink. In doing so, we have to forsake the opposite of foolishness, so that we can live and advance in the way of understanding. The kind of food and drink of Wisdom is the Word of God. If someone is consuming God’s words and teachings, they are more likely to be able to see the opposite more clearly, and to forsake its foolishness. And of course life has many forms of spiritual and moral foolishness. Anyone who leaves out what the Scriptures call us to is pursuing foolishness.
Those who pursue foolishness are acting like fools, according to Paul in the letter to the Ephesians. They are not thinking out the consequences. They are continuing in ignorance. Those who live by the Word of God are growing in wisdom and forsaking and avoiding foolishness.
For good spiritual health and spiritual wisdom, it’s necessary to eat and drink spiritual food. The psalm proclaims “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”. This involves blessing and praising the Lord, glorying in the Lord in one’s soul, fearing the Lord in the sense of not wanting to do anything against the Lord’s commandments. It’s the fear of a loving son or daughter not wanting to hurt their parents. Wisdom involves seeking the Lord, listening to the Lord, keeping one’s tongue from evil, turning from evil, doing good and seeking peace.
The way of foolishness leads in the end to spiritual death and separation from God. The way of wisdom leads to spiritual life and union with God. The greatest means we have to union with God is the Eucharist. John’s Gospel gives us the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist in the words of Jesus. “I myself am the living bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever…” The Eucharist is the best of the spiritual foods. The Risen Lord Jesus comes in Holy Communion into the soul.
The food and drink of the Body and Blood of Christ brings wisdom. Be wise by avoiding evil and consuming Wisdom’s food!
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