
In today’s first reading from the book of Wisdom, we are reminded of the benefits and the nature of wisdom in life. The author of the book of Wisdom places the wisdom of God on the highest state of preference in life. He esteems wisdom above wealth, health, authority, powers and earthly glories. The Old Testament sees wisdom as the greatest thing anyone could have and the knowledge of the empirical or practical ways of a good life. Indeed, true wisdom is not relative to the rationality of human beings but is only found in God and following his perfect will.
Hence, the author of the first reading stated that “I prayed, and understanding was given to me; I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me”. True wisdom is seeking first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and every other thing will be provided as we place our hope in God. (cf. Matt. 6:32-33). The gift of wisdom is not something we purchase nor what we acquire by human connections, but a divine gift God freely gives to us.
The life of a wise person is in understanding how to relate with God and humanity. However, it is very sad that in our world today, many have placed the definition and judgement of wisdom on worldly success, possessions, riches and material acquisitions of some people. A Catholic Priest once stated in his homily that “true wisdom is always choosing Jesus above every relationship or possession… for He is the real, true and everlasting fortune”.
There is this saying that goes, wisdom is better than riches. It is better to be wise and poor than to be rich and foolish. Wealth without wisdom is poverty waiting to happen. The Holy Scripture contains so many examples of people who were wealthy but lacked wisdom. They placed wealth over God only to end up losing their very lives in the end. St Gregory the Great wrote that “the more we are involved in temporal things, the more we are insensitive to the spiritual”. In today’s Gospel, Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “how hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God.”
He said this in response to his encounter with the rich man who has placed priority on his wealth over the perfect will of God. We know how material prosperity and worldly possessions can affect human beings to change their entire outlook about life and other fellow human beings. It only takes the grace of God and the virtue of humility to help out in this setting. From the conversation of the rich man and Jesus, one could deduce that the rich man was mindful of the letter of the law but unwilling to embrace the spirit of the law. The spirit of the commandments is the intention of the law unto love of God and our neighbours as seen in the Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy.
The rich man said he has kept all the commandments from his youth and has not done any harm to his neighbour. But when Jesus told him he lacked one thing and to go and sell his riches, give to the poor, embrace the treasure in heaven and follow Him, Scripture tells us that his countenance fell and he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. His love and concern towards his possession is greater than any other thing in life. He is not wise enough to understand that what Jesus meant is for him to be charitable with his possessions to his neighbours as true witness to the spirit of the commandments and fulfilment of God’s kingdom. He has failed to understand that all perfect gift comes from God (cf. James 1:17) and all we have in life is Pro Deo et Humanitate i.e. (for God and humanity). We could see that this rich man knows the law of God but has not applied the wisdom of God in carrying it out. Dear Friends in Christ, for us as Christians, the most essential virtue of wisdom is love and the most fundamental attitude is charity.
Jesus is the perfect fulfilment and revelation of the wisdom of God. For Christians, the ultimate wisdom is found in the person of Jesus Christ whose life and work reveals the will of God. Let us bear in mind that Jesus is not against the rich, but teaches us that our riches, possessions, fame, titles, connections, time, treasures and talents are to be shared in the wisdom of love and the attitude of charity to the poor, weak, timid, the sick, the downtrodden, the less privileged and all other neighbours in need. To know this is wisdom. Wisdom is not a commodity to be acquired, but a journey to be embarked upon. It is not a destination to be reached, but a divine process to be engaged in by the help of God.
Let us not be foolish like the parable of the Rich man in Luke 12:16- 21 who focused solely in building bigger barns to store up his possessions in order to eat and merry alone. But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared— whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Today’s Psalm prays that “God should teach us the number of our days, that we may gain wisdom of heart”. So let us be focused in the living and active word of God in order to be ‘enwisdomized’ and be rewarded with eternal life.