Wisdom

“I see, an eight-year-old boy, with his catechism, knows more than you. I thought I was ignorant. You know even less. Let me explain it to you.” (Saint John Vianney).

Jesus Preaches in the Synagogue (Kralj)

So many times, in my life, I am confronted with situations where I do not understand what it is that I need to do.

So many times, I am in a situation where I think if I act in one way I will get result A, but then somehow, somewhere, something goes wrong and instead of the expected result A, I get result B, and that is stressful.

And I have been thinking about that today.  You see, so much of my life is about trying to uncover the future.  I am trying to establish some certainty around things that are certainly not certain.  I do not know – for example – when I will die.  I do not know when I will get sick.  I have no idea how much money I am going to earn or how successful I am going to be.  And instead of spending my days trying to piece together the future, it occurs to me that God may have another plan for me. 

Today, as I reflect on my life and the lives of my children and those people who I love, it seems to me that nothing at all is certain, except the fact that one day I must die.

And there is a wisdom that comes of being able to recognise this.  Perhaps that is what is really meant when we speak of being inspired by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit…?

And Christ was such a catalyst in His lifetime to expose a lack of wisdom, that I wonder how I could think that He was only speaking to the Pharisees and the doubters in His own hometown.  I wonder how I could ever consider that I had the answers or knew what to think, when in fact everything that comes to me, comes from God Himself…

“And coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?’ And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house.’ And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:54-58).

And I have been thinking of the wisdom of being able to see the truth right in front of me…

There is a story of Saint John Vianney, who was called the Cure of Ares…  One day a man who was an atheist came to visit the Saint and asked to have an argument with him, the Saint replied that he was very ignorant and would not be able to argue with the man but that the man was welcome to kneel and pray.  The man responded saying that he had just said that he did not believe in God or praying or the sacraments and that “it’s all nonsense.”  The Saint replied, “I see, an eight-year-old boy, with his catechism, knows more than you. I thought I was ignorant. You know even less. Let me explain it to you.”  By the end of the conversation the man had converted.  And when those around asked the Saint where he got his wisdom, he replied that he had borrowed it from the Holy Spirit.

Today, I pray for a little of that wisdom – just so that I can see what is under my own nose…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.