November 14, 2019 – Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the Book of Wisdom (7:22b-8:1)

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.
For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion,
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.
And she, who is one, can do all things,
and renews everything while herself perduring;
And passing into holy souls from age to age,
she produces friends of God and prophets.
For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.
For she is fairer than the sun
and surpasses every constellation of the stars.
Compared to light, she takes precedence;
for that, indeed, night supplants,
but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom.

Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily
and governs all things well.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke (17:20-25)

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

Homily

Alexander Pope, a poet, once said, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Why is that? A person wo has little knowledge of something can pretend to be more intelligent than the rest. A little knowledge then, can intoxicate a person thinking that what he/she has is already everything. Thus, knowledgeable person is not necessarily wise. 

However, this is different with having a little wisdom, now matter how little, wisdom makes a person understanding and knowledgeable. Wisdom, indeed, is always good and is directed and attracted towards the good. Wisdom would never succumb to what is evil, corrupt and not of God.

These are the beautiful descriptions of Wisdom that we have heard from the first reading today. Wisdom is even described as the aura of the might of God, the spotless mirror of the power of God and the image of His goodness. This tells us that wisdom also helps us in discerning the presence of God among us.

The Gospel tells us about the question of the Pharisees on the coming of the Kingdom of God. Jesus warns them and also us today not to look outside to search of the kingdom of God or to be deceived by people who claim to be god and to be Jesus. The kingdom of God, as Jesus affirms, is among us brothers and sisters. Thus, the presence of God can be felt and can be found in the very presence of our community.

We can only discern this once we also learn the ways of wisdom. Wisdom cannot be achieved through diplomas, certificates or earned by any master’s and doctoral degrees. Wisdom is a gift given to us through our life experiences, through the relationships we have built with others and with God. Wisdom, therefore, allows us to recognize God in the presence of our brothers and sisters and in all of God’s creation that surrounds us because wisdom does not discriminate. Certainly, to be wise makes us closer to God because we become friends of God.

Recognizing God in everything is a manifestation that the kingdom of God is being unfolded in our lives that is why Jesus said, the kingdom of God is among you because God is truly with us, in each of us and in everything. 

Hence, today let us ask God for the gift of wisdom, to make us wise so that we may be able to recognize his face and his plans for us in our daily lives. Seek for it and desire for it. The wisdom of God will be more willing to dwell in us as we make ourselves open and welcoming to God’s presence. Hinaut pa. 

Jom Baring, CSsR