Dear Parishioners,
“Wisdom is readily perceived by those who love her and found by those who seek her.” As we rapidly approach the end of another church year, it would be a good time for us all to reflect on this gift of the Holy Spirit; Wisdom. Wisdom participates in God’s capacity to order all things properly, and a wise person accomplishes in his or her life what God does for the whole of creation.
Wisdom invites itself in our daily lives. Wisdom is not a level of education, nor does it require us to read more books or memorize things. Rather, wisdom is a capacity to live well, and to make informed decisions. Such wisdom is only possible with good judgment, stemming from experience and everyday knowledge, through listening, observation, reflection and then putting it into practice. Wisdom, in order to be gained, must be sought out and desired. Each of us seeks in our own heart and mind the people that we might ask for advice in our lives. Those people are usually important figures for us, whose practical judgments we would trust and also whose spiritual advice could be helpful. Our first reading this Sunday reminds us that we need to seek wisdom to “the perfection of prudence,” and once we obtain some wisdom, we would be wise to treasure that wisdom. True wisdom figures and reflects the wisdom of God.
Wisdom can be seen as a preparedness for Jesus’ return. Our Gospel from Matthew today brings us back to wisdom. The parable that Jesus gives to us illustrates the practical nature of wisdom. All ten of the virgins wanted to meet the bridegroom but five of them did not bring enough oil to keep their lamps burning. A person who knows about oil lamps will know that extra oil must be taken along if the wait is going to be long. Seems a practical foresight , but five of the virgins did not have that wisdom. When the bridegroom was delayed, those five ran out of oil.
The point of this parable is to ensure we are ready at all times for the Lord. To be ready for the Lord, we must be willing to wait for the Lord. To wait for the Lord, we must be willing to do all the things that will allow us to be ready as we wait. And so the question is, “do we live our lives in such a way that we are always ready for Him?” We must live and conduct our lives in such a way as to mirror the life Jesus has presented to us. Our question may be “how does Christ know us?” He knows us when He looks into our hearts and sees Himself. We trust and follow Him, taking to ourselves His truth so that it becomes our truth. Then the door will open for us. May you be filled with the Wisdom & Peace of Jesus!
Peace and All Good,
Fr. Zack
