“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  Fearing the Lord is the experience through which a person recognizes the purity and power of God, the limitations of human knowledge and action, and the traces of sinfulness in the best of human achievements.

Memorial of St. Josephat

Wisdom 7:22b–8:1

Psalm 119:89, 90, 91, 130, 135, 175

L uke 17:20-25 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; (21) nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!' or `There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." (22) And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it. (23) And they will say to you, `Lo, there!' or `Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them. (24) For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day. (25) But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Meditation by John P. Schlegel, S.J.

T he November days are getting shorter and darkness comes earlier.  The fields have yielded their harvest and our campus is winterized.  I realize I will not see my favorite begonia beds until May.  During these days I crave comfort food and behold today’s readings hit the spot like a hearty broth on an autumn night.

The scripture speaks of wisdom.  Christians are told to be wise.  The reading from the book of Wisdom personifies wisdom as feminine, the crafter of all; wisdom is “an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty.”  Wisdom is “the image of God’s goodness.”  And the scribe wrote: “God loves nothing so much as the man/woman who lives with wisdom.”

Christians are told to be wise.  The gospel has Jesus telling his followers not to go off and run in pursuit of an elusive kingdom of God or a fraudulent Son of Man.  Rather, with reflection and wisdom, you will find both and realize that “the kingdom of God is among us.”  We long for action, but the wise person knows, as Jesus knows, that the typical human state is not activity but watchfulness—“watch and pray” Jesus tells his followers.

Christians are told to be wise.  I do not consider myself to be wise; experienced, well traveled, seasoned, opinionated, yes, but not wise.  It is not easy to say what wisdom is or how we become wise.  Yet I am wise enough to know not to look for wisdom in myself or to search for it too intently in others.  But I do know that people of prayer, whoever and wherever they are, live with some (or frequent) stillness and silence in which both prayer and wisdom grow and develop through the grace of God.  As our scripture notes “And passing into holy souls from age to age, she (wisdom) produces friends of God and prophets.”

Christians are told to be wise.  The scriptures say: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  Fearing the Lord is the experience through which a person recognizes the purity and power of God, the limitations of human knowledge and action, and the traces of sinfulness in the best of human achievements.

As mentioned above, a chilly November day begs a hearty broth, just as our soul needs silence and stillness in which both prayer and wisdom can grow and develop through the grace of God in this autumn season.

Supplementary Reading

TINy WHISPERS of THE HEART

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance. – Romans 8:25

A bout two years ago, I told God that I wanted to find a job that will help me to fully live out my life’s purpose. At the time, I was still doing OK in my job as HR-IE Manager in my friends’ trading company. Still, something was amiss.

Meanwhile, I stayed put in my job, even enrolled in a Human Resource Management Course to equip myself with necessary skills for the HR component of my job. Deep within, though, my heart longed for something more, or something else. The longing became stronger as my 50th birthday approached. I felt a sense of urgency. What if I only have a few more years to live? I kept on praying and trusting that God had heard my prayer and His answer was on its way.

Two days before my birthday, Rissa, Shepherd’s Voice editor-in-chief, texted: “Tess, do you still want a full-time writing job?” Things moved after that message. It pays to place our hope in God who hears even the tiny whispers of our hearts. -- Tess Atienza

REFLECTION:

What is it that you’re hoping for? In whom do you place your hope?

Only You, O Lord, hear even the unspoken hopes and wishes of my heart. I place my hope in You.