FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B

[cappie]

“Jesus and his disciples went as far as Capernaum, and as soon as the sabbath came he went to the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.”

In the Gospel according to Luke, there is a scene where Jesus is in the temple in Jerusalem, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” There is a somewhat similar reaction today recorded in Mark noted above, after Jesus begins his public ministry.  By this time, Jesus is about 30 years old, once more, people are astounded with him. Evidence of Jesus’ wisdom is what we hear in this Gospel today: “[Jesus] taught as one having authority.”
 
In the scriptures, wisdom is the gift extolled above all others for how to make meaning and how to navigate life.  Wisdom is a deep knowledge, much deeper than simply information. 

We have today an information glut.  As you well know, it is possible to browse through a virtually infinite stream of data with simply a click: an endless array of “horizontal information.”  Information alone may make us competent or make us look smart;  However, information alone is not wisdom.  Viktor Frankl, the Jewish psychiatrist, said that, “Wisdom is knowledge and the knowledge of its own limits.”

Wisdom is not gleaned from this “horizontal axis” but from the “vertical axis,” either from below or from above.  Wisdom from above is the higher perspective on life, literally the gift of “oversight.”    Or, wisdom comes from below, from the ground of our being, out of pondering life deeply.  The psalmist prays, “Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord.”  Someone who is a “know-it-all” is probably not wise.  For this reason, wisdom most often comes hand-in-hand with its cousin, which is humility.  Humility, the word coming from the Latin humilis “lowly,”  literally “on the ground,” “grounded,” from humus, “earth.”  Wisdom is a humble “under-standing” about life.  

Wisdom is not a skill, it does not form on demand, it is not a pill to swallow.  Wisdom is a gift from God.  Here are several practices that will help cultivate the ground of our being for the seed of wisdom to grow.

For one, wisdom takes time, time to be attentive to life.   Look deeply at what is, lest you miss the meaning of your life.  Søren Kierkegaard, the 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian, said that “Life must be lived forwards, but it can be understood only backwards.” Take the time to live your lifetime reflectively.  And you will cultivate the seed of wisdom implanted in your soul.

Secondly, wisdom does not come from getting it right.  More often, wisdom comes from getting it wrong.  This is why wisdom and humility are so often coupled together.  We are so prone to stumble in life.  So much wisdom can be gleaned from remembering how we got it wrong, or how we are prone to get it wrong.  You may well have some character flaws. Push one of your buttons, and you will, predictably, react, maybe react in a disproportional way.  Or you may be prone to a blindness or deafness in some ways that only becomes apparent in retrospect. I certainly do.  It is so important to remember our breaks and our mistakes.  And then, also, to remember that everyone else has their own version of not getting it right.  When you witness someone else’s flaws, remember but by the grace of God, there go you.  And then be helpful to them; at least do not be hurtful.

And thirdly, to cultivate wisdom is to remember that we are not God.  Wisdom is seeing deeply, but there is a limit to our vision.  We should not presume that we will be omniscient or omnipotent.  We have very creaturely limitations.  We are not the source of wisdom; we are the recipients of wisdom.  Jesus, in the New Testament, is eventually called “the wisdom of God.” 1Cor 1;24 Jesus is eventually called “[the one] in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.” Col2:3  By clinging to Christ, we tap into this divine wisdom.

In this liturgy, we hear His voice and “see” His works, as we sing in today’s Psalm. And as Moses tells us today, we should listen to Him.