Reading 1
Wis 7:22b–8:1
In Wisdom is a spirit
intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain,
Not baneful, loving the good, keen,
unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits,
though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion,
and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.
For she is an aura of the might of God
and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore nought that is sullied enters into her.
For she is the refulgence of eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the power of God,
the image of his goodness.
And she, who is one, can do all things,
and renews everything while herself perduring;
And passing into holy souls from age to age,
she produces friends of God and prophets.
For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.
For she is fairer than the sun
and surpasses every constellation of the stars.
Compared to light, she takes precedence;
for that, indeed, night supplants,
but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom.
Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily
and governs all things well.
Gospel
Lk 17:20-25
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
Meditation: Wisdom 7:22–8:1
The Book of Wisdom is one of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible.
These books appear in all Catholic Bibles but are omitted or added as an appendix in Protestant Bibles. Rabbis in the first century excluded these highly esteemed books from their collection of inspired writings because not only were they written in Greek instead of Hebrew, they had been written too recently to be considered sacred Scripture. They did, however, remain in the Greek versions of the Old Testament.
From early on, Christians embraced these books as inspired—works such as Tobit, Judith, Maccabees, and Wisdom. During the sixteenth century, however, Protestant reformers rejected these books since they were not in the Hebrew canon and because some of the teaching supported Catholic doctrines like purgatory.
Although the Book of Wisdom was probably edited into its present form many centuries after the death of King Solomon, the text still speaks in the voice of this wise and ancient ruler of Israel. Written as a response to a spirit of futility and uncertainty that is common in every age, the author declares that living in trust and fear of the Lord rescues us from this futility and puts us on the path to immortality.
As old as it is, the Book of Wisdom still speaks to us today. We live in a world in which belief in God is soundly rejected by influential voices. Books debunking the Lord are displayed prominently in bookstores, and freeway billboards advertise toll-free atheist hotlines. How refreshing to hear about the “might of God” and the “glory of the Almighty” (Wisdom 7:25)! How encouraging to hear that God really does reveal himself to those who search for him (1:1-2)!
Today’s reading captures the essence of God’s goodness and awakens our hearts to the beauty of Christ, who is the wisdom of God. The “wisdom” of this world offers only futility and death. But in response, we can place our trust in Jesus and find in him riches that can sustain us in this life and bring us to the peace of heaven.
“The revelation of your words, O Lord, sheds light, gives understanding to the simple. Let me live to praise you.” (Psalm 119:130,175)
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