Scripture Notes: An Introduction to Wisdom (Sirach 1)

The Book of Sirach collects the wisdom of Israel, gathering it up and reflecting on it and emphasizing that we find wisdom only when we are in a right relationship with God and obedient to His will. The first chapter of Sirach introduces us to wisdom. First, we learn where wisdom comes from: “All wisdom comes from the Lord and is with Him forever.” (1:1). There is no other place to find wisdom, for wisdom is essentially a God’s-eye perspective (as much as human beings can have that) on the world. Wisdom helps us see, just a little bit, through God’s eyes so that we can know more about Him, about ourselves, and about His plan for our lives.

But we must cultivate two things if we are to receive a share of wisdom from God. First, we need humility. Sirach asks a series of questions at the beginning of his first chapter, questions that put us firmly in our place. Can we count the sand of the sea or drops of rain? Can we tabulate eternity? Can we measure the heights of heaven or the breadth of the earth or the depths of the abyss? No. But God can. So whatever wisdom we have is, first and foremost, of God. He is generous with His wisdom, pouring it out upon those who love Him. But we have to open ourselves up to that gift, first by realizing how small and weak and stupid we are. That is humility, a recognition of reality.

To embrace wisdom, Sirach tells us, we also need the fear of the Lord. This does not meaning shrinking in terror before God or ducking our heads in expectation of His punishments (as just as those are). This is filial fear, that deep reverence for God that manifests itself in love and in a horror of offending Him by sinning. This kind of fear leads to a right relationship of love and obedience with God, and according to Sirach, it is the beginning, the full measure, and the root of all wisdom.

So we pray for wisdom, for humility, and for the fear of the Lord, that we might grow ever closer to God and see the world, at least a little, through His eyes. Amen.

Scripture Notes: Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22)

The Book of Revelation is arguably the most difficult book of the Bible to understand. It is filled with horrifying imagery, multi-layered symbols, and news of terrifying trials and tribulations. But it also gives us the best news ever: God wins! Through it all, God protects and cares for and loves His people. No matter what they suffer, He is right beside them, giving that suffering meaning and redemptive power and guiding them through it and home to His new creation.

That is why the Spirit and the Bride (the Church) resound with a prayer and a plea and an invitation at the end of Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus! We are invited to join in. We long for Jesus to come to us, in the Eucharist, in response to our prayers, when we gather as Christians to pray and worship, when we study our faith. We long for Jesus to come to us at the time of our death so that He can lead us home. We long for Jesus to come to us at the end of time when He will finally be all in all and inaugurate a new Heaven and new earth where we will live with Him forever.  

So we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” And we hear Him respond: “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen.

Scripture Notes: The Shoot (Isaiah 11)

The prophet Isaiah frequently points directly toward the coming Messiah, but he does so in a mysterious way, a way that would probably have confused his original audience, indeed, a way his original audience may not fully have appreciated. For one thing, Isaiah prophesies the coming of a Suffering Servant, someone who will take the people’s sins upon himself and suffer and even die for them. This is not the powerful, political Messiah people wanted, but it is the compassionate, merciful Messiah people needed.

In chapter 11, Isaiah describes the One Who is to come as a “shoot from the stump of Jesse” and a branch out of Jesse’s roots. The Hebrew word for “shoot” is hoter, and it refers to a twig or a branch. It could also mean a rod. So it is something small, something thin, something apparently weak. It comes from the stump of Jesse, meaning that Jesse’s line has apparently been cut off, but only apparently. Indeed, after the time of the Babylonian exile, Jesse’s line (which is also the line of King David, Jesse’s son) seemed to disappear. But it was merely hidden, waiting for this small shoot to arise.

Isaiah also describes this newcomer as a branch, in Hebrew neser, a sprout. This, too, suggests smallness. The One Who is to come will not appear powerful in the eyes of the world. He will start small, even seemingly insignificant. What can a shoot or a branch do?

But there is something very special about this shoot. Isaiah tells us “the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.” There is more than meets the eye in this little branch. In fact, this shoot will grow and reveal Himself to be something beyond Isaiah’s wildest imaginings.

Scripture Notes: The Value of Wisdom (Wisdom 7)

God told Solomon to ask for something, whatever his heart most desired. Solomon did not chose riches or power, fame or honor. Instead, he requested wisdom. And he did not regret that choice.

In Wisdom 7, Solomon tells us, “Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.” Solomon knows that his wisdom does not arise within himself, from his own intelligence or skills. It is a gift from God. And he values wisdom as such. He sets her before his own kingly power. He prefers her to wealth. She is far more precious than gold or silver, which become like a little sand or clay in comparison. She is even better than beauty or health or the light of day.

Why? Solomon explains that wisdom’s “radiance never ceases.” She provides a God’s-eye perspective on the world that helps us see things as they really are. She shows us the true, the good, and the beautiful and guides us in our quest for those transcendentals (a quest that ultimately leads to God). In wisdom, Solomon finds all good things, a wealth far beyond material possessions. In wisdom, there is true joy.

In fact, Solomon declares that the wealth that wisdom brings “is an unfailing treasure” for human beings, and it leads to “friendship with God.” Here is our very highest goal, friendship with God, intimacy with Him, immersion in His love and obedience to His perfect will.

Scripture Notes: One Lost Sheep (Matthew 18)

In Matthew 18:12, Jesus asks a question that would have startled His listeners: “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?” For most people in the audience that day, the answer would have been “Of course not! Why risk ninety-nine sheep for the sake of one? Let it go!”

Let’s think about that one lost sheep for a moment. Perhaps it simply got distracted by something that looked interesting and wandered off. Or maybe it got angry at another sheep or at the shepherd and left deliberately. Maybe it was even feeling sorry for itself when something didn’t go right, and it went off to pout. Or perhaps it is simply a stubborn, stupid sheep that doesn’t know how good it has things with the shepherd. Can you tell that we’re talking much more about human beings than sheep here?  In any case, that straying sheep is now lost, alone, and very, very vulnerable.

Jesus doesn’t agree with His hearers. He looks at the situation from God’s perspective (because, of course, He is God), and to Him, every single sheep has value. He loves every single stupid, stubborn sheep (and human being, too). And He never stops searching for them.

Of course, here’s where the analogy breaks down a bit. Jesus knows exactly where we are at every moment, physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. He doesn’t have to search for us in that way. The problem is that we silly, lost, little people lose sight of Him. We lose ourselves in the things of this world and in our anger and emotional upheavals and stubbornness and sin. But Jesus keeps “finding” us, holding out His hand to us, drawing us back to Him. He never gives up on us. He keeps chasing down every little sheep.

Scripture Notes: Eye Has Not Seen (1 Corinthians 2)

We are called to wisdom, to a God’s-eye perspective on the world and on ourselves, on things of this earth and on things of Heaven, on things human and on things divine. St. Paul tells us so in 1 Corinthians 2:6-7 when he says that “among the mature” Christians, those who seek God with open hearts and strive to follow His will in faith, hope, and love, “we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification.”

The Spirit reveals this wisdom to us. He infuses it into our souls, giving us a glimpse (still darkly and still incompletely) into the deepest, highest, most beautiful things of God. It’s only a glimpse, for as Paul says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” We do not know exactly what Heaven will be like. We cannot reach up that far in our current state.

But at the same time, God has revealed something of this to us. We know that when we get to Heaven, we will be in God’s presence. We will see Him face to face. And we will be more immersed in His love and able to respond to His love than we have even experienced before. Yet we taste it now. When we who are baptized are in a state of grace, God’s divine presence dwells within us. We already share in His divine life. He pours His grace into us along with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We even receive our Lord, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in the Eucharist.

So while we still cannot fully grasp what God has in store for us, we can and do experience it already, as much as we can handle, right now. And the more we open ourselves to that experience, the more wisdom we receive and the closer we become to our loving God.

Scripture Notes: Death and Life (Romans 6)

St. Paul doesn’t mince words in his Letter to the Romans. In chapter 6, verse 23, he says right out, “For the wages of sin is death.” There is no getting around it. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sinned. They did the one thing God told them not to do, and they received the very punishment that God imposed for that disobedience: death. No, they did not drop dead immediately, but they did die physically. Even worse, though, they experienced spiritual death, separation from God.

For years upon years, centuries upon centuries, millennia upon millennia, the gates of Heaven were closed to human beings. Sin broke the relationship with God. Sin closed those gates. Sin separated us from our Father Who loves us.

But because our Father loves us, He spent years upon years, centuries upon centuries, millennia upon millennia preparing for the solution to the problem of sin and death. And that solution was something no one could have imagined. Love Himself, Life Himself, Truth Himself, the Word of God Himself, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Son of God became incarnate. He came to take sin and death upon Himself and open the gates of Heaven.

That’s why St. Paul can add that “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s grace pours out upon us, forgiving our sins and canceling their punishment. Jesus gives us life. We still die physically (and who would want to live forever in this fallen world?), but we no longer have to die spiritually. We no longer have to be separated from God. We can enter into eternal life through Christ, for when we are baptized and in a state of grace, God’s very divine life indwells in our souls, drawing us up to eternal life in Heaven.