Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh
Kellia: Wisdom 9:1-13 Epistle: 1 Peter 4:1-11 Gospel: St. Mark 12:28-37
Wisdom 9:1-13, especially vss. 4, 5, "...give me the wisdom that sits by
Thy throne, and do not reject me from among Thy servants, for I am Thy slave and the son of Thy
maidservant." Let each Christian think deeply concerning the Lord our God and of his human
need for "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). Then, each one will
conclude with the Solomon, "I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me - and it was
a mark of insight to know Whose gift she was - so I appealed to the Lord and besought Him, and
with my whole heart"(Wis. 8:21). Thus, let each of the Faithful make Solomon's prayer his own.
By embracing this prayer for himself, the Christian affirms, first of all, that the true Source of
Wisdom is the "Lord of mercy" (Wis. 9:1) Who formed us in His image and gave us dominion
over His creation, a rule to be exercised "in holiness and righteousness"(vs. 3). Hence, let us
agree that we are to "pronounce judgment [only] in uprightness of soul" (vs. 3). The popular
myth that we have been given freedom to make ourselves happy is a complete heresy, for the
True Wisdom Who knows the works of God "and was present when [He made] the world, and
Who understands what is pleasing in [God's] sight and what is right according to [His]
commandments" (vs. 9) is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ before Whom we have bowed
down "at Baptism as our King and God," pleading "Thy will be done" (Mt. 6:10).
Notice that by adopting these words as our own prayer, we confess that we are slaves of God, His
creatures, men who are "weak and short-lived, with little understanding of judgment and laws"
(Wis. 9:5). If this seems a little far-fetched or extreme, simply recall the difficulty that our
human governments have in formulating and putting laws into effect that are useful, helpful, and
beneficial to the welfare of our communities, families, and individual enterprises.
The truth is that we are nothing apart from "the wisdom that comes from [God]" (vs. 6); in fact,
we are worse than nothing without God. For we become depraved unless we draw in to our
hearts and souls the life-giving grace of Christ, the Wisdom of God. As St. Justin Popovich
wrote: "I would choose any monster before man, because even the most terrifying monster is less
terrifying than man...Oh, I am speaking the truth, I am speaking from my heart. For man
invented and made sin, death, and hell. And this is worse than the worst thing, more monstrous
than the most monstrous thing, more terrifying than the most terrifying thing in all my worlds."
Solomon's prayer holds out a wonderful promise: when we take his prayer on our lips, and
acknowledge and commit ourselves to the work of God's "royal priesthood" (1 P. 2:9), the Lord
will anoint us to judge His "sons and daughters" (Wis. 9:7) among the children of men in this
world. In other words, we shall be privileged to assume the task, as did Solomon, to build His
Church, God's "temple on [His] holy mountain, and an altar in the city of [His] habitation, a copy
of the holy tent which [He] didst prepare from the beginning" (vs. 8). We will be helping to
create a living witness to Christ our God, Wisdom Who was Incarnate for the world's salvation.
Beloved of the Lord, let us plead for Divine Wisdom that we "may learn what is pleasing to
[God]. For Wisdom "knows and understands all things, and...will guide [us] wisely in [our]
actions and guard [us] with [His] glory. Then [our] works will be acceptable, and [we] shall judge
[God's] people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne" He promises to His saints (Lk. 22:28-30). In our own strength, which of us "can learn the counsel of God", or "discern what the Lord
wills?" (Wis. 9:13). Truly, without His Wisdom, we know that we are as nothing
O only wise and merciful Physician, I beseech Thy benevolence: heal the wounds of my soul and
enlighten the eyes of my mind that I may understand my place in Thine eternal design.
