Study: Consider a moment when you saw someone act in a wise manner.  What did you notice?

Pray: Wisdom is a precious gift; pray for it every day!

Serve: How can you help someone facing a tough challenge today?  Ask the Lord for the wisdom to guide you.

Mass Readings – 32nd Sunday of the Year

With just a couple of weeks left of Ordinary Time, we hear about the wisdom of God repeatedly in the readings today.

• 1st Reading – “Resplendent and unfading is wisdom.”
• Psalm – “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”
• 2nd Reading – We have hope that Christ will raise us up from death to life.
• Gospel – Jesus offers a contrast between wisdom and foolishness.

When we talk about the concept of wisdom we often refer to the ability to see the big picture.  Wisdom gives us the ability to “see around corners” and anticipate circumstances; this particular virtue allows us to step back and take in events, seeing how they relate and connect with other situations.

And God offers it to us!  This is a precious spiritual gift, one that comes through the power of the Holy Spirit, and it helps us live each day in a vibrant manner.  Without wisdom we can speak and act in ways that might have disastrous results, especially if we would have considered the ramifications and consequences that followed if we’d have only thought about other factors.

In order to apply wisdom to our lives we begin first with a strong foundation of prayer.  The closer we draw to Jesus, the closer we connect with the source of all wisdom and understanding.  As we thirst for the Lord we are nourished and sustained with God’s grace as we see with the eyes of Christ.

Wisdom then requires our action.  Once we have insight we can then proceed to act in a manner that is guided by the nuances and sensitivities that confront us.  We can act decisively and deliberately, aware of the situation and able to adjust and respond as needed.

This precious spiritual gift is for the asking…so ask!  May we all call upon the Lord for this grace as we live our faith each day.

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