“I
directed my soul to Wisdom, and in purity I found Her. With Her I gained
understanding from the first; therefore I will never be forsaken. My
heart was stirred to seek Her; therefore I have gained a prize
possession.” Book of Sirach 51:20-21 (Ecclesiasticus), of the Apocrypha
Though
the books of the so-called “Apocrypha” are not recognized as authoritative in
much of the Protestant movement, there are nevertheless expressions of these
authors’ spiritual journeys as well as some history. Just as you or I
could easily sit down and write out our thoughts and observations, prayers and
desires, so did others. Thankfully, these books have been preserved
through the ages.
I
have often wondered why these books are not more broadly accepted especially
when in my own experiences with some of these books, I have found nothing that
contradicts anything written in the Scriptures themselves. Especially in
the book of Sirach, the author plainly states so eloquently that Wisdom
should be our highest goal (as in Proverbs). True Wisdom imparted
from Above rather than knowledge as we have come to understand as little more
than a collection of facts. Facts are of little use to us (except maybe
in a game of Trivial Pursuit) if we do not know what to do with these facts,
how to put them to good use. As I have said so often in that particular
game, I am a master of useless knowledge!
With
Wisdom, however, we reach higher and think more broadly. We begin to
understand things in the wider and deeper realm, and we become hungry for
more. Why? Because True Wisdom is a Divine Gift. It is the
“prize possession” above all others, in some ways perhaps the very source of
faith itself. It is in Wisdom by which we begin to understand more about
The Lord, for in Wisdom we begin to understand more about the world around us;
that very world we are to be “in” but not “of”. Without Wisdom we would
wander aimlessly; with Wisdom we become sojourners as Israel in the
wilderness. Going somewhere, accomplishing something with every step but
being patient with each step. Not merely existing but really living as we
are meant to live.
As
with The Lord, seek Wisdom while She may be found. Allow The Lord to
inspire and direct. Only then will we learn to “get over ourselves” and
reach higher. Only with Wisdom can we understand our neighbors who do not
look like we look, who do not act as we think they should act, who do not
worship as we think they should worship. Wisdom will help us to
understand these “wanderers” so we may learn to relate to them and invite them
to become fellow “sojourners”. This is our highest aim, for this is the
Great Commission of Christ our Lord.
Blessings,
Michael
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