Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 494

In Wisdom is a spirit

intelligent, holy, unique,

Manifold, subtle, agile,

clear, unstained, certain,

Not baneful, loving the good, keen,

unhampered, beneficent, kindly,

Firm, secure, tranquil,

all-powerful, all-seeing,

And pervading all spirits,

though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle....

This poetic passage from the Book of Wisdom deserves music, an arrangement that would not simply recite the words but catch them up in a repetitive chant of sheer delight. I feel that elation whenever this reading comes around in mid-November. It is a paean for a lover: feminine, beautiful, happy, clever, gentle. Wisdom is everything a young man might want in his sweetheart.

There is no cynicism in this description of the perfect lover. She is purely, simply good. Her lover has no need for qualifications; there are no ifs, ands, or buts. She is lovely.

Recently alarmed by the spread of cynicism -- or perhaps more aware of it -- and conscious of that cynicism which is rooted deep in my character, I am fascinated by Solomon's vision of God's wisdom.

Many people today, caught up in polarized politics, say there is no truth. There is only power. Despairing of goodness, they fear for their own survival and hope that a friendly power might save them. They should only conform to its demands.

I recently finished a harrowing account of a daughter's escape from her devout father. He is known to close family, proximate neighbors and distant acquaintances as godly. But to save his loved ones he must control their every thought, word, and deed. They must believe in him as he believes in his version of God, a god who is arbitrary, moody, sometimes benevolent, and often cruel. They must submit to his tormented insanity.

His daughter supposes he is not diabolical but schizophrenic. I wonder about that. A secular world, eager to avoid judgment, condemns only the most egregious criminal behavior, like pedophilia. Evil behavior, they suppose, is caused by mental illness. But Jesus says, "By their fruits you will know them. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. "​

Mental illness invariably represents the extremes of a widespread social illness. It is the fruit of a diseased tree. A national obsession with power must bear bad fruit, and a society that worships power must breed many sadly misguided idolaters. Without effective warnings from religious leaders and a theology founded on the humility of God, many religious efforts will be co-opted by Satan. Don't walk away from them. Run.

The Divine Author of the Book of Wisdom describes Wisdom as "all-powerful." We should understand that supreme power is demonstrated by the ability to renounce power. Anyone, divine or human, who cannot shed their authority is controlled by it. They are pathetically weak before its all-consuming demands. Inevitably the pursuit of power ends in tragedy, and it usually costs many lives. The Greek tragedians knew that long before Jesus was born.
We have seen God's supreme power first in the Father's rendering to Jesus "all authority in heaven and on earth;" then, in Jesus' self-abasement on Calvary; and finally, in the Holy Spirit's disappearance between the Father and the Son. The Spirit disappears also in human life when a Christian makes a great sacrifice and regards it as nothing special. Others may be amazed but the martyr knows it cost nothing, nothing more than the self.

This paean to Wisdom signifies King Solomon's readiness to surrender his life and royal authority to his delightful lover; who, in turn, will surrender the redeemed soul to the Father.

For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet. But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the one who subjected everything to him. When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will [also] be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all. 

1 Corinthians 15:22ff

Wisdom is not cynical; it neither fears death nor worships power. Wisdom follows Jesus to Calvary and surrenders to his cross.