An important part of receiving God’s wisdom is listening to Him in silence as we pray
As we approach the end of our liturgical year, we hear readings from the Scriptures that encourage us to be aware of the limited nature of our existence and of our dependence on God. Whenever anything reminds us that we don’t control the whole world, we scramble for ways to shore up the walls of security. These are the times when we discover clearly what we truly believe to be our sources of security and life. Jesus warns us not to put our trust in things that pass — such as money, social status, friends or positions of power. If we continue to deal with life’s insecurities, our mature spiritual path will lead us to become aware of our total dependence on God. The choice to depend on God, rather than ourselves, is simply an embrace of reality. Anything other than that is living in a fantasy world. We are not the creator; we are the creature. Dependence and our need for others is not a sign of weakness, but an embracing of our true nature.
How do we trust the promise that we are given in the readings for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time? How do we trust that when we need wisdom, God will provide it for us? Like all spiritual practices that deepen our relationship with God, a practice of listening for God’s wisdom is the way that we receive the wisdom He promised. That may sound like double talk, but we really can’t learn to trust something unless we actually try to trust it. You might ask: How does that work?
Reflecting on the life of Jesus, we see two distinct ways that He sought to grow in wisdom and grace. One way was developing and deepening His relationship with the Father, and the other was listening to and observing those who were given to Him as wisdom figures in His life.
Jesus would regularly seek time to pray, meditate, communicate with and listen to the voice of the Father in His life here on earth. He would go to secluded places, express His gratitude and fears about life and then would be silent and receive God’s assurance in that silence. God loves Him, will never abandon Him and will be with Him for all eternity. Regularly seeking to hear and listen to the voice of the one who loves us helps us to trust that God is always present with us and can give us comfort and wisdom in times of need.
We also see that Jesus grew in wisdom and grace under the guardianship of Mary and Joseph and the other elders in His life. Imagine how much He must’ve learned about the wisdom of life from His friends like Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Imagine what He learned about generosity from the women who followed Him and made His mission possible through their generosity. Imagine the wisdom that He learned by entering the margins of His society. What lessons of wisdom He must’ve learned from the poor, the sick, the immigrant and His oppressors! He sought wisdom in His relationship with the Father and from the community in which He lived. God’s wisdom, as we hear in the Scripture, can come through a soft breeze or a mighty storm.
Our Scripture readings this week and next weekend speak of storms, earthquakes, famine and wars. These are the things that most often make us uncomfortable, insecure and might even cause us to put up our defenses. These are the things that help us to create scapegoats and divisions. Instead, as we experience uncertainty and instability in our lives, let us seek the wisdom of God by not just speaking in prayer, but listening as well. Let us also learn the wisdom of life from those who live on the margins. They are our community of wisdom. Let us not blame them, but let us receive their wisdom.
