CHOOSE WISE, CHOOSE WISDOM.
July 30, 2023.
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – A.
“Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to
judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” 1 Kg 3:9
A Swahili proverb says: “If you want to eat a pig, choose
one which is fat.” And a Greek proverb adds: “A drop of wisdom is better than a
sea of gold.”
In Manila, Quezon City, and many of the surrounding cities,
there is a shopping center that always attracts my attention, not by its size,
but by its name: SHOPWISE. And for many items and appliances, it is truly wise
to shop there. Not only are the qualities great but you are given a wise and
wide variety of choices. You get from national to international brands at a
very nice price.
In life also, wisdom is needed in every choice and decision
we make. To choose without wisdom is to ruin one's whole life. Many have gone
to their loss because of wrong discernment and lack of wisdom in decisions.
When someone shows to not be wise in decision making or choices, he himself
first, but also others, are brought to suffer for his lack of wisdom. If we
want a sound, peaceful, and happy life, we should choose wise, Shopwise, and
espouse “Lady Wisdom”.
Wisdom is an important concept in the Old Testament and
Hebrew Scriptures. The Hebrew word for wisdom is “חָכְמָה”chokhma, σοφία (Sophia)
in Greek, sapiential in the Vulgate (Latin). And the Bible tells us to acquire
it at every cost. It is also described as more than good quality. Wisdom is a
personified heavenly female power. It is more than a godly attribute. It is God
himself in his expression and it is the way for man to reach God and be
conformed to the image of God’s Son.
It can appear clear that the main topic of today’s
Eucharistic celebration is wisdom. From Solomon's prayer at Gibeon to the three
short parables of the Gospel, wisdom is a line of life, a call, and a value to
seek.
We read that, after he was anointed King in succession of
David his father, the young King Solomon who was in love with Yahweh went to
the high place of Gibeon to offer sacrifice and praise to God. While sleeping,
the Lord God appeared to him in a dream and said: "Ask what you would like
me to give you." The answer of Solomon was filled with wisdom and pleased
the Lord: “Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good
and evil...” A Spirit of discernment and understanding is what he asked. He did
not ask for fame, treasure, power, or any other worldliness, but for wisdom. He
chose wisely. And because he made a wise choice, the Lord blessed Solomon with
wisdom beyond measure. “I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there
has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one
to equal you.”
Wisdom is the greatest source of perfection, and when one
has it or chooses it, he receives all other things as divine blessings. He who
is wise in his choices and decisions lacks nothing and lives happily.
For certain, if we were asked by the Lord today, to ask for
whatever we want and it will be given to us, many people's lives will change at
the second. We will not hesitate to ask for the whole world and its
possessions. Wisdom would be the least and maybe the last choice of many, but
not their priority. We care more for material possessions than the spirit of
discernment.
Many people have gone crazy today by the lure of
materialism, possession, power, and pleasure. These three "P" (Possession,
Power, Pleasure) have turned out to be the center of human life. And for them,
we can do everything, even the most stupid and inhuman, such as killing. The
motto of some people today could be, "Money (Possessions) at all costs.
Power (position) at all costs. Pleasure (Epicurean life) at all costs."
Even if that means losing everything, provided that the cost leads them to
their three "P". All wisdom is gone.
Looking at our politicians, civic and social leaders,
legislators, and the de choices they make, we can truly say that wisdom is
dead. And we Christians, and even Church leaders, are not immune from this
temptation of the three "P". Even our Lord Jesus, in the desert, was
confronted with that temptation (Mt 4:3-10). But from him, we learn that to be
tempted is not a crime. The crime lies in succumbing to the temptation. Falling
is the problem, not the temptation. Jesus knew who was in charge of His
provision or possession, His pleasure, and His power. That is what is called
wisdom. To choose God beyond and above all as our greatest treasure. That was
also the choice made by Solomon. He espoused Wisdom rather than material,
pleasure, and power.
The example of choosing the greatest treasure is given in
the Gospel, through Jesus' three short parables: the treasure buried in the
field, the merchant in search of fine and priceless pearls, and the net thrown
in the sea. The message is the same, to find what is more valuable for us and
for it, sacrifice or leave all the other things. Only wisdom leads to that
perfect choice. We should always learn to choose wisely, to Shopwise to avoid
regretting our choices.
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