Wisdom

Since man is the image of God, if man loses his connection with God he will ultimately lose his connection with himself and drift in aimless confusion about life. Such is the case because God is the source of all Wisdom, and as God’s image (imago dei) mankind was created to be a recipient and cooperator with divine Wisdom. Divine Wisdom is that which orders and directs all things, informing them of their purpose and enriching their being. Though often overlooked today, the biblical books of Wisdom and Sirach were two of the most widely quoted books of the Old Testament by the Church Fathers, particularly the Cappadocian Fathers, Ambrose, and Augustine. Too often, though, Wisdom is believed to be solely the possession of the consecrated religious or the tremendously pious. “Wisdom was created before all things and prudent understanding from eternity…the Lord himself created wisdom in the holy spirit; he saw her and apportioned her, he poured her out upon all his works.” (Sirach 1:4,9) Wisdom is the gentle kiss of the divine upon the mind and will. It is the caress of God and the apportioning of His own Divine thoughts. It is nothing less than a supernatural harbor of consolation. May we join in Solomon’s praise: “I called upon God and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepters and thrones, and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her…I learned both what is secret and what is manifest for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me…for she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty.” (Wisdom 7:7-8, 21, 25)