LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF WISDOM


MONDAY, TWENTY EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Gal 4:22-24,26-27,31-5:1; Ps 113:1-7; Lk 11:29-32

The Presence of Eternal Wisdom

As a follow-up to Sunday’s reflection on the gift of Wisdom, in which we noted the difference between the Old Testament understanding of Wisdom as embodied by the Commandments, different from the New Testament initiated by the incarnation of the Eternal Wisdom, we follow St. Paul to a deeper understanding of this difference. In today’s passage from Galatians, he presents all who lived in the Old Testament dispensation as having lived in slavery. The Old Testament was when sin reigned supreme over all due to the presence of the Commandments. Though the Commandments were regarded as the epitome of divine Wisdom, able to guide human life into communion with God, the human spirit has been vitiated by original sin. So, no man satisfies the requirements of the Law. Hence, even Solomon, granted wisdom and understanding, abandoned the path of wisdom because he could not keep the Commandments of God. No one born in the old dispensation satisfied the requirement of the Law. Hence, none gained the eternal communion with Wisdom. Paul used the two wives of Abraham to bring this home. “The child of the slave-girl was born in the ordinary way; the child of the free woman was born as the result of a promise. This can be regarded as an allegory: the women stand for the two covenants.”

The Old Testament was a covenant made with the physical progenies of Abraham for temporal goods.  The covenant was to help them serve the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham, which was fulfilled in the New Testament with all peoples of every tribe and language. Thus, the wisdom in the Old Testament was provisional, mediating the coming of the ultimate Wisdom in the New Testament. Hence, Paul considers it absolute stupidity and foolishness to abandon the company of Eternal Wisdom for the company of what is provisional and outdated. The New Testament Wisdom is Jesus Christ, who admits us into his presence and communion based on our faith in him and not on obedience to the Commandments that enslaves. “When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” To live in the company of Jesus Christ is to live with heavenly wisdom and eternally. For this purpose, the Lord instructed the man who desired eternal life to sell everything and be with him.

We have the company of Jesus Christ with us, for he said he would remain with us in the Church forever. The humanity of Jesus Christ is the way leading us to the fullness of communion with him. Jesus Christ remains with us in the Church through his Gospel and the Sacraments. Each of us baptised into Christ is to instantiate his presence and ministry by our life in the Spirit. We will fail in this duty if we do not drink in his presence and Spirit through reading, meditating, and contemplating his word daily. He reprimanded the crowd following him for this failure. They failed to listen and internalise or believe his words. Their demand for a sign demonstrated their reluctance to accept his words. Thus, the Lord pronounced the Queen of the South and Ninevites better than them, for these accepted the wise words from prophets and believed in God. The Eternal Wisdom is far beyond King Solomon and Prophet Jonah, who enunciated Old Testament wisdom and converted people. We listen to the Eternal Wisdom in the New Testament and refuse to commit ourselves to him. We have the One who is greater than Solomon and Jonah. In Jesus Christ, we are free to live a truly divine life. Let us commit our whole being to the Gospel we have received in thanksgiving to God our Father.

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, the grace to understand the singular privilege we have received through the Gospel of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, that putting aside everything that hinders us on our journey into the mystery of Jesus Christ, we may share his company more and more each day.  

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