May 3 Sat
What is to be wise?
The Holy Scripture speaks of wisdom frequently. To begin with, God is Wisdom and Might. His is counsel and prudence. Thus, all God’s works are ordained perfectly. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, the concern to avoid offending Him.
There is no doubt about Solomon's extraordinary wisdom, the fame of which extended to the countries neighboring Israel. As the book of Kings puts it: "God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and eagerness of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt" (1 Kings 4:29-30).
From these writings, we can say that the wise man is above all a man of faith, a prudent man, interested in the cultural and religious development of his people; a genuine teacher, whose mission is one of counseling and is different from that of a priest or a prophet. The book of Jeremiah contains this reference: "The law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet" (Jer 18:18).
These, among others, are features that distinguish the wise man of Israel:
a) He is a man of faith, deeply religious, who nourishes his spirit by reading and meditating on the Law of Yahweh. From that Law, he draws moral principles which he then applies by giving his advice in the form of maxims and proverbs.
b) He is also a realist: he understands the problems of the time he lives in. He studies what is happening and shows how events and behavior fit in with the moral precepts of the Covenant.
c) He does not lay down the law: rather, he proposes counsels and teachings in a gentle way, suggesting the right line of action. He respects the freedom of his listeners and tries, by simple but effective reasoning, to build up their convictions.
d) He clearly shows the need for consistency between faith and living, because he is conscious that true wisdom should lead a person to obey God in everything, in high spiritual matters and also in the prosaic activities of everyday life.
The book of Job is included among the wisdom writings precisely because it teaches man that pain and suffering are a mystery of divine wisdom. According to the sacred writer, the truly wise man should realize that "the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, that is understanding" (28:28).
In a Christian, wisdom is manifested in the knowledge of the Will of God, and the means to accomplish it. The humble people acquire wisdom. Yet frequently, wisdom looks foolishness in the eyes of the world. God’s Wisdom is revealed above all in the mystery of the Cross, which every Christian must reproduce in his own life.
“Christ invites us to go regularly to the professorial chair of the cross, to fill ourselves with a new wisdom... A light of extraordinary clarity passes from the cross of Christ to the intelligence of men. The wisdom of God is given to us and the highest meaning of our existence is manifested to us, since the One who hangs on this tree is "the true Light which, coming into this world, enlightens every man" (Jn 1:9). And our will receives from the cross new joy and strength, which allow us to walk living according to the truth in charity" (Eph 4:15). St. John Paul II.