and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.
For she is an aura of the might of God
and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nought that is sullied enters into her.
For she is the refulgence of eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the power of God,
the image of his goodness.
During the Year of Faith
Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics to recite frequently the Apostles or Nicene
Creed and to study The Catechism of the Catholic Church. He urged us especially
to appreciate and celebrate the Most Holy Trinity.
The Jewish philosopher
who wrote The Book of Wisdom gave us this wonderful teaching about
Wisdom. He used the feminine pronouns she
and her as he described her beauty. His
artistry was disciplined by the constraints of Jewish religion. Wisdom could
not be another god; nor could she be God’s wife. She seems to have a separate existence from God and yet she
may be only a literary device, a way of describing God.
Pope Benedict and other Christian
theologians have shown how the doctrine of the Trinity resolves that dilemma. There
is in the unity of God a trinity of persons. Our human language cannot define the
doctrine; even simple integers like one
and three fail to describe its
subtlety. It is a mystical vision which belongs to the whole church. Saints intuit
its truth as they are swept into the life of God.
Wisdom is a
manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The universe with all its tenderness and
beauty, its spectacle and violence, is saturated by the wisdom which binds it
all together. She is, in some ways, that dark
matter which puzzles astrophysicists. They know it’s there; it’s massive,
dense and ubiquitous; and yet they cannot determine what it is. Despite its “darkness”
light passes right through it. She penetrates
and pervades all things by reason of her purity.
With Pope Benedict’s
insight and Pope Francis’ stimulus we hope for and expect a rebirth of wonder
in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. We need this teaching now more than ever.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.