Between Two Masters . . . Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time
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Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 12th, 2023 (Click Here for Readings)
We grow in wisdom over time, depending how readily we open our eyes, ears and hearts to what God has prepared for us who love him, as written in St. Paul’s letter this Sunday. We don’t acquire it overnight, from the worldly wisdom of others, or through our own human efforts.
When we accept God’s wisdom as the one true source revealed to us through the Spirit, our self-centered lives can become redirected by God’s plan for us. The process, however, might take weeks, months or years. In my case it was decades.
As an invincible status seeker “yuppie” in my 30s, a “Sunday Catholic” who followed the rules of God’s law, but not the spirit of it, it took several decades for me to comprehend the deeper meanings of his commandments.
The rule of “You shall not kill” encompassed many past “mini-sins” that my lack of wisdom caused me to overlook. Prioritizing my career over my family’s need for a better dad and husband, moving away from my elderly parents when they needed me the most, or humiliating a homeless man in a public restaurant to feel good about myself, to name a few “killers” to my friends and loved ones.
Just as those who crucified Jesus would not have done so if they had known God’s wisdom at the time, I would also not have done many things I did.
We go about our lives between two masters . . . fire and water, or good and evil according to the wisdom of Sirach. We are given the power of choice by God to love or hate, sin or be holy, be selfish or selfless. We are given the freedom to sin, but offered the wisdom to avoid it.
We also have opportunities to not just reticently obey God’s commandments, but to enliven them as role models in loving service to others. And the more we occupy ourselves with these intentions, the more we'll shield ourelves from the occasions of sin.
As we apply more of God’s wisdom in our service to others, the Holy Spirit becomes the conduit by which God reveals himself through us.
There are no prosperity preachers, ivory tower bigwigs or trendy life coaches who rely on today’s “wisdom of our age” mentioned by St. Paul that can guide us to heaven more assuredly than the incomparable wisdom of God.
(For more reflections on the Sunday Readings, Go Here)
