+ Among the things that we need to pray for daily is spiritual (or divine) wisdom! It is a gift of the Holy Spirit – especially
intensified at our Confirmations – but it needs to be “stirred into flame again,” not only at every Mass we attend, but
also every day in prayer. “To see things and understand them the way God does”
– holy wisdom – is indeed a very
important and useful gift. (And those who do not have or use the gift properly
can end up with a distorted view of everything – for example, scientists who
promulgate theories of the origins of the universe devoid of the presence and
activity of God).
But as in any other gift God
gives us – this one too is not for our own private use or fame or glory – but
is rather for the good of others – those he has placed in community life with
us, in the Church to which we belong. Therefore, to pray daily for an increase
and rekindling of wisdom can only be a good thing so as to give us an insightful edge into the nature of things and how
to get along with one another more compassionately, lovingly and
self-sacrificially.
One of the insights, however,
that wisdom gives is that, even though we live in the community of the world,
and of our families, and of our Church – we are responsible first of all for our own salvation: “we can save the
whole world,” Jesus tells us in another place, “and lose our souls.” The gospel
passage today relates what Jesus thinks about the whole thing: UNLESS YOU
RENOUNCE ABSOLUTELY ALL POSSESSIONS
(including the material, the psychological, the emotional, the intellectual,
the familial – relationships with people: including your own family) YOU CANNOT
BE MY TRUE DISCIPLE AND YOU WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM prepared for you!
This is very clear, and seems very
cold; but actually it is far from it. It is when one really and truly jumps entirely into the pool of Christian
discipleship that everything is immediately given back – only they now seem entirely different; there are no
more “claw marks” of grappling on them, there is no more excessive compulsion
and need to control and manipulate, there is no more selfishness and
self-centeredness. The true nature of things becomes very clear! And so, what
is left is the ability to enjoy not only relationships with
people, including family and parish, but also the beauty and verity of all of
God’s creation and everything in it, and Christian service that is made now so
much easier. And here, the playing field is also leveled – we look at everyone,
of every socio-economic class as our true brother and sister – as St. Paul
urged Philemon to do with the slave Onesimus in the second reading today. EVERYTHING
IS BRAND NEW ONCE WE SURRENDER
OURSELVES COMPLETELY INTO THE HEART OF GOD!
He
will accept your love and then ask you to prove it by loving the brothers and
sisters that he has placed with you in this world. But
that will be easy – because you will truly believe at that point that they
really are indeed your brothers and sisters!
Yes, pray daily for the gift of Divine Wisdom – for it is the grace of God shining on you so that
you can see everything and everyone
clearly – even the laws of physics, even the law of human helpfulness! God bless you!
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