28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B ~ OCTOBER 13, 2024

DIVINE WISDOM FOR ETERNAL LIFE

As we begin the month of October to walk with Blessed Virgin Mary by seeking her intercessions, we learn to be grateful for God’s blessings. Last Sunday we reflected on Relationship, Respect and Responsibility to better understand our lives. This weekend as we celebrate Thanksgiving weekend, we reflect on the gift of divine wisdom which leads us to eternal life.

St. Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop, opens our hearts and minds to understand divine wisdom in the following words: “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old has passed away. Now by the “new creation” Paul means the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a heart that is pure and blameless, free of all malice, wickedness or shamefulness. For when a soul has come to hate sin and has delivered itself as far as it can to the power of virtue, it undergoes a transformation by receiving the grace of the Spirit. Then it is healed, restored and made wholly new. Indeed, the two texts: Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new one, and: Let us celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, support those passages which speak about the new creation. Yet the tempter spreads many a snare to trap the soul, and of itself human nature is too weak to defeat him. This is why the Apostle bids us to arm ourselves with heavenly weapons, when he says: Put on the breastplate of righteousness and have your feet shod with the gospel of peace and have truth around your waist as a belt. Can you not see how many forms of salvation the Apostle indicates, all leading to the same path and the same goal? Following them to the heights of God’s commandments, we easily complete the race of life. For elsewhere the Apostle says: Let us run with fidelity the race that has been set before us, with our eyes on Jesus, the origin and the goal of our faith. So, a man who openly despises the accolades of this world and rejects all earthly glory must also practice self-denial. Such self-denial means that you never seek your own will but God’s, using God’s will as a sure guide; it also means possessing nothing apart from what is held in common. In this way it will be easier for you to carry out your superior’s commands promptly, in joy and in hope; this is required of Christ’s servants who are redeemed for service to the brethren. For this is what the Lord wants when he says: Whoever wishes to be first and great among you must be the last of all and a servant to all. Our service of mankind must be given freely. One who is in such a position must be subject to everyone and serve his brothers as if he were paying off a debt. Moreover, those who are in charge should work harder than the others and conduct themselves with greater submission than their own subjects. Their lives should serve as a visible example of what service means, and they should remember that those who are committed to their trust are held in trust from God. Those, then, who are in a position of authority must look after their brothers as conscientious teachers look after the young children who have been handed over to them by their parents. If both disciples and masters have this loving relationship, then subjects will be happy to obey whatever is commanded, while superiors will be delighted to lead their brothers to perfection. If you try to outdo one another in showing respect, your life on earth will be like that of the angels”.

“Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” is a famous scripture reference which opens the wide horizon of wisdom and knowledge. Throughout the human history there is always two types of wisdom: one human and second divine. These two go hand in hand to make the person to understand his and divine existence in a profound way. However Divine Wisdom takes the first place to prepare us to be grateful for all the blessings. This Sunday we also celebrate Thanksgiving Day to remind ourselves to sing with the Blessed Virgin Mary “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name”.

This is by an unknown author who shared their pearls of wisdom for us to understand that how divine wisdom leads us to eternal life.

 

 

You say: “It’s impossible”

God says: All things are possible

(Luke 18:27)

You say: “I’m too tired”

God says: I will give you rest

(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: “Nobody really loves me”

God says: I love you

(John 3:16 & John 3:34)

You say: “I can’t go on”

God says: My grace is sufficient

(2 Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: “I can’t figure things out”

God says: I will direct your steps

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: “I can’t do it”

God says: You can do all things

(Philippians 4:13)

You say: “I’m not able”

God says: I am able

(2 Corinthians 9:8)

You say: “It’s not worth it”

God says: It will be worth it

(Romans 8:28)

You say: “I can’t forgive myself”

God says: I Forgive you

(1 John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: “I can’t manage”

God says: I will supply all your needs

(Philippians 4:19)

You say: “I’m afraid”

God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear

(2 Timothy 1:7)

You say: “I’m always worried and frustrated”

God says: Cast all your cares on ME

(1 Peter 5:7)

You say: “I’m not smart enough”

God says: I give you wisdom

(1 Corinthians 1:30)

You say: “I feel all alone”

God says: I will never leave you or forsake you

(Hebrews 13:5)

 

 

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene, I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there were one set of footprints. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So, I said to the Lord, “You promised me, Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?” The Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand, is when I carried you.” By Mary Stevenson.

We must understand the words of St. Francis of Assisi that “The darkness of the whole world can not extinguish the light of the single candle”. We do need human wisdom and knowledge to progress in the society, but we can not ignore the divine wisdom either to gain eternal life.

In the First Reading which is taken from the Book of Wisdom we are invited to reflect on the wisdom which comes from the Lord “I prayed, and understanding was given to me; I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me”. There is no comparison of wisdom with any throne or treasure. The wisdom not only opens new horizons but it also lumens one’s inner self. Once I got a phone call and her daughter had a question to ask; “When was the first time the name of God is called “God”? and “Why was there a tree of knowledge in the center of the garden?” My answer to the second question was “So by essentially placing the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden and commanding Man to NOT eat from the tree, God was providing Man with the choices of good and evil. God has created us with free will to choose between good and evil. … Through this Man had the chance to Love God by Obeying Him or rebel against God by Disobeying Him”. The divine wisdom connects us with our Creator.

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me something more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.

What do we ask of the Lord to give us during this week? The best way to gain the divine wisdom is the Word of God as we read in the Second Reading “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow, it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. Let’s open BIBLE everyday because “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” and then why not to go with the divine wisdom to enjoy the company of the saints.

In the Gospel we see an encounter with Jesus and a young man desiring to learn more to attain eternal life. In that question is the challenge of every life, ours too: the desire for a full, infinite life. What must we do to achieve it? What path must we take? To truly live, to live a noble life…. How many young people try to ‘live’ and destroy themselves by following things that are fleeting. Holy Father Pope Francis is awakening the young people by the reflecting the Gospel this way “Some think that it would be better to extinguish this impulse, the impulse to live because it is dangerous. I would like to say, especially to young people: our worst enemy is not practical problems, no matter how serious and dramatic: life’s greatest danger is a poor spirit of adaptation which is neither meekness nor humility, but mediocrity, cowardice. Is a mediocre young person a youth with a future or not? No! He or she remains there, will not grow, will not have success. Mediocrity or cowardice. Those young people who are afraid of everything: ‘No, this is how I am…’. These young people will not move forward. Meekness, strength, and not cowardice, not mediocrity”.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was a young man, used to say that one must live, not just get by. The mediocre just get by, living by their life force. One must ask the heavenly Father, for today’s young people, for the gift of a healthy restlessness. But, at home, in your homes, in every family, when a young person is seen sitting idle all day, at times mom and dad wonder: “is he sick; is something wrong?”, and they take him to the doctor. The life of young people is about moving forward, being restless, healthy restlessness, the capacity not to be content with a life without beauty, without colour. If young people are not hungry for an authentic life, I wonder, where will humanity end up? Where will humanity go with young people who are idle and not restless?

The question of that man in the Gospel passage that we have heard is inside of each of us: how can we find life, life in abundance, happiness? Jesus answers: “You know the commandments” which are part of divine wisdom and cites part of the Ten Commandments. It is a pedagogical process, by which Jesus wishes to lead to an exact place; in fact, it is already clear, from that man’s question, that he does not have a full life; he seeks more and is restless. Thus, what does he need to understand? He says: “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth” I believe there is no access to divine wisdom unless there is an openness of heart and mind. 

Do we have desire like the young man to inherit eternal life? I personally believe that the divine wisdom always opens our hearts to give thanks to the Lord for all his blessings. This weekend as celebrate Thanksgiving Day, God has given us the chance to choose from: I have in my hands on two boxes, which God gave me to hold. He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black box, And all your joys into the gold. “I heeded His words, and in the two boxes both my joys and sorrows I stored, but though the gold became heavier each day, the black was as light as before. With curiosity, I opened the black. I wanted to find out why, And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole which my sorrows had fallen out. I showed the hole to God and mused, “I wonder where my sorrows could be?” He smiled a gentle smile and said, “My child, they’re here with me.”  I asked God why He gave me the boxes, Why the gold and the black with the hole? “My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings. The black is for you to let go.”

St. Francis of Assisi once wrote “O how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do as the Lord himself said in the gospel: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul; and your neighbor as yourself. Therefore, let us love God and adore him with pure heart and mind. This is his desire when he says: True worshippers adore the Father in spirit and truth. For all who adore him must do so in the spirit of truth. Let us also direct to him our praises and prayers saying: Our Father, who art in heaven, since we must always pray and never grow slack. Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neighbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because they cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be simple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God’s sake. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father’s children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Let’s ask the intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary to be grateful for everything and chose divine to inherit eternal life.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!