I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
And deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
Because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. (Wis 7:7-9)
Dummy. Stupid. Idiot. Imbecile.
These are all words that we have used at one time or another in our lives. Perhaps they have also been words used against us.
Our human nature seems to abhor those who are not intelligent. Because of that, we often do everything that we can do in order to grow in knowledge. We want to attain. We want to be the best that we can be and we realize that knowledge can get us there.
However, as intelligent as we can get, there are those who remain rather unintelligent in what counts most: the ways of the Lord.
Oh, sure, they have gained an incredible amount of worldly intelligence. They have made huge profits for themselves. But, they remain dull when it come to their spirituality.
We are called to seek wisdom, which comes from God.
Wisdom is the perfection of faith. In the Modern Catholic Dictionary, it is described: “Where faith is a simple knowledge of the articles of Christian belief, wisdom goes on to a certain divine penetration of the truths themselves.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia tell us that “by detaching us from the world, [wisdom] makes us relish and love only the things of heaven.” Through wisdom, we judge the things of the world in light of the highest end of man — the contemplation of God.
Garnering intelligence can get us ahead in this life. Seeking wisdom — and, therefore, drawing closer to the mysteries and love of God — can help direct us toward eternal life.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for the gift of wisdom this day that your love of God may deepen even more and prompt you to service of His people.