32nd Sunday: Lady Wisdom waits at your gate

Wisdom is the perspective acquired through time and experience. Wisdom awakens us to life as a finite reality. Thomas Merton advised the young monks at Gethsemane Abbey to meditate on death in order to see life from the perspective of what is ultimately important. In the Gospel today, Jesus reminds us of the end. When you look back on all your struggles and worries, successes and accomplishments, what was really important? What you decide in that regard is whatever wisdom you take out of your life.
 
What is Wisdom?
Wisdom is valuing something that is truly worthy of our care. The psalmist today reminds us that “My soul is thirsting for you O Lord, my God.” Ps. 63 Wisdom is not facts, but a hunger for God and understanding. Typically, wisdom is a feminine figure. In the book of Wisdom, she ‘sets her table’ and ‘waits by the gate.’ In wisdom literature, Lady Folly is the antithesis of Lady Wisdom. Lady Folly is garish and silly, while Lady Wisdom is beautiful and peaceful. In the Gospel, when the Lord tells the story about the five wise and the five foolish virgins, he is holding up an image of Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly.
 
Wisdom is awareness of God
In the gospel, Jesus describes wisdom and folly. Everyone knows that the bridegroom is coming. The wise are awakened and ready. Jesus admonished his listeners, “Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour." Mt. 25.

What does it mean to wake up?
When I was a young teen, my grandfather died. I remember visiting him in the Veteran’s Hospital with my dad. It was dark and dingy there. It was the first time that someone I loved died. I remember crying when I learned of his death. My younger brother Mike asked me why I was crying and I told him that even mom and dad were going to die. The thought saddened me. Mike, the ultimate pragmatist, told me, “That won’t happen for a long time.” That was true, but like lots of true information, it didn’t really help. The idea that my family, the relationships that I valued most in my teen world, would end, troubled me. That was the beginning of whatever wisdom I have in life.
 
How do we wake up?
The simple answer is by being aware of God’s presence every moment of every day. Is that possible? I haven’t been able to pull it off. What helps are the habits and rituals in our life that keep our awareness of God present in our life and family. These rituals and habits are like an alarm clock that jolts us awake.

• Daily prayer, in the morning and evening, is a habit that brings awareness of God to the forefront of our life.

• Attendance at mass is taking our place in the story of salvation. Each week we gather as the body of Christ around the Word and the Eucharist in order to remember and be aware.

• How about something new for Advent this year? Join one of our Advent small groups. A small group is 5-10 parishioners and neighbors gathering together to talk about community life. The hour or so discussion is built around the Sunday scriptures, the homily and the awareness of God in the Church, the household of God.

Wisdom and Community
The purpose of the small group is to strengthen our parish community and to take a positive, prayerful step to confront the increasing fragmentation of our world. Our 2017 Small Group Advent Series will meet during the first three weeks of Advent. The small group hosts have been organized by days of the week, location, and time. We have split the groups into married couples, working couples, young family couples, single men & women and groups open to all. If you wish to participate in our 2017 Small Group Advent Series, you may sign up starting after mass in the courtyard or online at our parish website.

Community is taking a beating in America, whether in church shootings or antagonistic politics. Personal and family prayer, the mass and our small groups are all ways of building community around a shared awareness of God. At the end of life, those relationships will be the treasures we take with us. So, wake up to Lady Wisdom. She waits at your gate.