Sunday Reflection (August 18, 2024)

Sunday Reflection upon Lady Wisdom

When we contemplate wisdom, our minds often gravitate toward the philosophical teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. However, in the Biblical wisdom literature, wisdom transcends mere philosophy; it embodies divine wisdom through which God created the world. Proverbs personifies wisdom (Lady Wisdom) as God’s way of reaching out to us. With its divine nature, this wisdom does not favor the smartest, strongest, or most powerful. It beckons the simple, embracing all to bestow wisdom upon them. This call of wisdom is indeed the call of God, which embraces all, regardless of their worldly status or knowledge.   Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians (1:26-30) that Jesus became the wisdom of God for us. God displays wisdom through that which the world deems weak (consider a ‘crucified Messiah’).

As the wisdom of God, Jesus says, ‘Follow me.’ Lady Wisdom tells us in Proverbs 9:2: ‘Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I have mixed.’ The Lord has prepared a table before us, and on the first Sunday of each month, we prepare the ‘Lord’s Table,’ eat the bread, and drink the wine. We partake of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has become God’s wisdom for us. Wisdom beckons us to follow Christ. You could say the Holy Spirit she beckons us to follow Christ because ‘spirit’ in Hebrew is grammatically feminine. Holy Wisdom (‘sophia’) comes to us from the Holy Spirit, she who leads us in the way of Christ, providing us with constant guidance and reassurance.