Seeking Wisdom Wis 6:12-16; Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; 1 Thes 4:13-18 ; Mt 25: 1-13 A life that is worth living is one that asks questions, is never satisfied with the conventional, is on a perpetual quest for meaning and purpose. This quest is the subject of the book of Wisdom. Today’s first lesson assures us that Wisdom is “found by all who seek her” (Wis 6:12). The Bible personified Wisdom using feminine imagery and vocabulary. In today’s reading, the pronouns “she” and “her” refer to Wisdom. Such usage is due, in part, to the feminine grammatical gender of both the Hebrew and Greek words for wisdom. More importantly, the Bible understands the search for Wisdom as a search for God. The liturgy affirms this with the words of the responsorial psalm: “O God, you are my God whom I seek” (Ps 53:2). Wisdom then mediates an authentic quest for God, making possible the use of feminine imagery in speaking about that quest. The world from which the religion of ancient Israel emerged had both male and female deities. The God of Israel was different, but it was difficult to find language to express that difference. Hebrew has only two grammatical genders: masculine and feminine. Masculine vocabulary and imagery dominate the ways of speaking about God in the Bible though feminine images of God do appear, e.g., Is 66:13. The use of “wisdom” in speaking about the search for an authentic experience of the Deity enables the Bible to use feminine imagery and vocabulary in speaking about God. This approach to the quest for the Divine is developed in Wisdom 7-10, which describes wisdom as “a breath of the might of God and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty” (Wis 7:25). Such language makes wisdom a literary and theological proxy for the Deity. Seeking wisdom is seeking God. The use of feminine imagery and vocabulary expands the ways of speaking about God. Exclusive reliance on masculine imagery unnecessarily limits the way we think about the God revealed in the pages of the Bible. Masculine images are often martial in tone, such as “the Lord, a mighty warrior” (Ps 24:8); “you God are my fortress” (Ps 59:10). Or they express power, domination and control, such as king, master, ruler. Feminine imagery emphasizes nurturing, care and comfort, such as Ps 131:2. It persuades rather than commands, such as Sir 24:19-22, and invites rather than controls, such as Prov 9:1-6. The New Testament presents Jesus as “the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24) who embodies Wisdom’s role and is Wisdom herself. This is most clear in the mode of Jesus’ teaching. This approach to proclaiming the coming reign of God engages his audience and leads them to draw the implications of the stories he tells. The parable of the 10 virgins leads the people to examine their response to Jesus’ message, to Wisdom’s invitation. Will they respond with repentance and faith? There are consequences to both responses: The wise will have a place in the world to come, but the foolish will not. Those who hear Jesus do not have the luxury of remaining neutral. He calls his audience to listen carefully so they will make the wise decision. Paul addresses his words to those who have accepted Jesus’ message. Apparently, many believed that the end of this age was imminent. Some Christians from Thessalonica were concerned about their loved ones who died. Will they have a place in the world to come? The apostle tells them not to grieve because the believers who have died will rise again because Jesus died and rose again. The Christian hope for the future is based on Christ. Those who are “in Christ’ will be raised from the dead as Jesus was. Paul assures the Thessalonians: “we shall all be with the Lord” (1 Thes 4:17b). The readings from the book of Wisdom and the responsorial psalm affirm that the search for meaning and purpose in life can be satisfied only by an experience of the Divine. The Gospel suggests that there are consequences for rejecting the call to repentance and faith proclaimed by Jesus, the wisdom of God. Paul assures believers that at the end of the age, “we shall be with the Lord.” This hope makes our life worth living.
About the Author Father Leslie Hoppe, OFM, is professor emeritus of Old Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union, 5416 S. Cornell Ave., Chicago.