FEBRUARY 12, 2017
10:30 AM ORDINARY FORM (ALL-SCHOOL) MASS
Today's readings are on Wisdom, and how God's Wisdom is not the same as the World's Wisdom.
Worldly wisdom is based on experience, success, influence, and education.
God's wisdom is based on our relationship to God and to others.
So, using the six letters of W-I-S-D-O-M, here are some guidelines on how to embrace and live in God's Wisdom.
"W" is for "Word of God."
We know that the Word of God is the Bible, but Jesus is also called the Word of God, and we just celebrated Christmas back in December and how "the Word became flesh" in the Person of Jesus.
The word used in the Greek original for "word" is "logos" which certainly means word, but also means "reason" (i.e. reasonable), "plan" (i.e. God's plan, not your plan), and is where we get the English word "logic." So, God's wisdom is reasonable and logical, and God's word shows us God's plan for salvation. The world is often unreasonable and illogical – just turn on the TV and watch the news. It often looks like in the world, nobody has a plan – or if they do, it conflicts with everybody else's plan.
And so, we must abide in God's Word – through Scripture, by seeking His Will in our lives, and by following Christ – that is, following God's plan for us.
"I" is for "Inspiration."
Inspiration means "to breath" or "to inhale." It literally means to draw in the "spirit." For us, this would mean the Holy Spirit of God, and by living in the Spirit, we are not only "inspired," but grow in grace and power in manifesting the charisms – that is the Gifts of the Holy Spirit – which are gifts of God that we use to grow as Christians and that we use to build the community of the Church.
"S" is for "Spirit."
We can't talk enough about the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for Spirit is, like we heard on the last letter, "breath." The Spirit is the Breath of God, and in Genesis, God used His breath to breathe life into Adam. St. Paul tells us that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor 3:17) ... and having just finished an election cycle, I would think that freedom might be on a few minds. But politics and government can't ever give the true freedom that we receive in Christ by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Material freedom is only a shadow or a reflection of the spiritual freedom bestowed on us in Christ Jesus.
"D" is for "Divinity."
Baptism, according to the Catechism, admits us to the other Sacraments by bringing us into the Divine Life of the Holy Trinity. The early Church Fathers spoke of "divinization" or "theosis" meaning to be caught up in God. We use the phrase of being in "a state of grace." But that sounds an awful lot like a "state of matter;" like we're somehow solid, liquid, or gaseous grace. But St. Augustine said it quite bluntly when he said, "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." Not that we are God Almighty, but that we realize our true call as children of God . . . brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus – our Savior, our Redeemer, and our Lord.
"O" is for "One."
There's the song from the late '60s that goes "We are one in the the Spirit, we are one in the Lord." And that "oneness" is our call, as well, in Christ. St. Paul tells us that "we are one body in Christ," and that there is "one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism" in Jesus Christ. We also pray in the Creed that we believe in "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic" Church. Unity is not uniformity. We are called to be united in Christ, but diverse in our gifts and talents. Baptism doesn't make us mindless zombies, but rather configures us as members of Christ; just as Confirmation configures us to utilize our talents to build up the Kingdom of God.
"M" is for "Mission."
Living in California, we might think of a mission as a place. But the word "mission" comes from the Latin word "missio" which means "to be sent." And so, we are sent by God into the world to live the life of Grace and build the Kingdom of God. To take this a step further, the word "Apostle" comes from the Greek word "apostello" which also means "to be sent," or "one who is sent." And so, we are sent, not to do our own things, but rather to serve Christ as modern-day apostles, in unity, in grace, in the Spirit, and in Christ Jesus Our Lord.
So, the Wisdom of God is very different than the Wisdom of the World.
God's Wisdom is all about God living in us and God working in us, and us working with each other to spread the Gospel and build the Kingdom of God.
As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us pray for an increase in grace so that we might be energized in the power of God's Holy Spirit to truly be His children, united in Christ and joined to Him in His mission to spread the Good News to all the world.
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