Daily Readings Reflection for 11/13/09

Reflection on Today’s Daily Readings by Fr. Bertrand Buby, SM

Scripture: Lectionary # 495. Wisdom 13:1-9. Psalm 19:2-3.4-5. Luke 17:26-37.

Wisdom is contrasted with those who lack it and are held responsible for not paying attention to the signs of God seen in all of creation. Wisdom is the creation of God and the spirit behind all that is created. Both our first reading from the Book of Wisdom and the Gospel point out that many of us miss the signs of God's wisdom seen in the created things around us and in the lives of those who live by wisdom and its manifold gifts and virtues. We often miss the presence of God seen in nature and all the moreso seen in persons leading a noble and holy life of virtue. We consider them pious or other-worldly and of not much help to us in our sophisticated world of secular values and materialistic interests. Many stop short of going any further in contemplating the goods of creation seen as such as coming from a Personal God. In today's reading from Wisdom, the inspired author is arguing from the "lesser to the greater." This is both a principle of reasoning and also a sound principle in interpretation. Our commercial world is clever and likes to play on its sophistication by turning things around and saying, "Less is more!" Wisdom does not say this or mean this. We are considered foolish when we stop at less in the order of grace and Wisdom's gifts. All that we see about us should help us to see and think about God. This takes time for reflection and prayer. St. Augustine tells us how he got lost in the beauty around him both in his sexual relations and in the joys of natural knowledge. He however continued to search and not be satified with the "less" and thus came to find God the beauty ever ancient and ever new. Peace and joy followed in his life and with the help of St.Monica's prayer and sound advice he eventually became a person of true Wisdom and holiness. He was then ready to be a leader and a saintly theologian. Amen.