By John Desing csc –
Readings: Sir 51: 12-20; Mk 11: 27-33
Knowing the will and precepts of God is knowledge, but understanding their implications in our lives is wisdom. Many of us know about Christ and the Holy Scripture extensively, what we are taught from our catechism classes.
Unfortunately, we hardly seek the wisdom of God which is more desirable than gold and knowledge of the world. The door to this wisdom is opened to anyone who is simple and god-fearing as we read in Proverbs 9:10; i.e., to fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Bible is not just a life-giving treasure but a great source of wisdom. Do we spend enough time reading the Bible as our guiding light, or do we use it only as a reference for talk, preaching, and writing articles? The liturgy of the word clearly suggests that we should use our cognitive faculty for the salvation of our souls. We may be highly intellectual and knowledgeable but if we are not humble, we are doomed.
The Pharisees were highly knowledgeable, but they lacked wisdom because their pride clouded their minds from seeing the true wisdom found in Jesus. Intelligence is a double-edged sword. It works against oneself if not used wisely and diligently. Reasoning and logic are extremely useful for us to know the signs of God’s intervention and his mysteries. At the same time, we need to become aware of our intellectual pride. Let us use our knowledge for the benefit of humanity and not as a tool to oppress the weak and the uneducated.