Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
There are a few human faculties are critical for living meaningfully in the world – memory, intelligence, and knowledge. Unless there is a natural disability, we believe that every human person is endowed with these faculties. But there is yet another quality that is critically important to live meaningfully – wisdom. Wisdom is sometimes spoken as a faculty of the mind, but it is also understood as a gift. Catholics believe that Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit given at Confirmation along with the gifts of knowledge, understanding, and counsel. But there are people outside the Catholic tradition who are revered as wise. Wisdom comes to people who approach life with a certain humility, a certain openness, faith, and a willingness to learn.
Even though today’s scripture reading is about forgiveness, in three points I would like to approach the readings from the perspective of wisdom.
Intelligence, Knowledge, Wisdom
How do we define wisdom? The best way to define wisdom is to contrast it with other human faculties. Take intelligence, for example. Intelligence helps us to gain knowledge. Knowledge is the total sum of facts we gain using our intelligence. Wisdom, on the other hand, is a whole another reality. It relies on intelligence, knowledge, and experience but goes beyond them. It is the ability to make sound judgments, to evaluate ethical and moral choices, to understand the deeper realities of the universe, to have a big-picture vision of life, and to live with eternity in perspective.
Sadly, people can be very intelligent and very knowledgeable but that does not always mean they are wise. Many intelligent and knowledge people live foolishly.
The Wisdom of Ben Sira
My focus on wisdom in today’s homily is guided by today’s first reading from the book of Sirach. Sirach comes from that part of the Bible called the Wisdom Literature. The Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Job, Wisdom, Sirach form the wisdom literature. Incidentally, Sirach is not found in the Protestant Bible.
The book of Sirach was originally written in Hebrew and called the Wisdom of Ben Sira (5:27). It was written by Yeshua, a sage, the son of Eleazar, son of Sira (Sir 5:27), who lived in Jerusalem and had great love for the wisdom tradition. He was a wise and experienced observer of life and simply wanted his contemporaries to live in faith and integrity. For this, he formed numerous well-crafted sayings like the ones we have in today’s reading. These sayings concern the individual, the family, and the community in their relations with one another and with God. It talks about friendship, education, poverty, wealth, laws, religious worship, and many other topics.
I approach today’s scripture from the perspective of wisdom because anger, wrath, mercy, and forgiveness concern human relationships. And wisdom has something to say.
Anger, Vengeance, Mercy, and Forgiveness
Today, Sirach asks us some important questions: “Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?” (Sir 28:3-5).
Sirach points out that “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight” (Sir 27:30). But Sirach, invites us to live wisely. He does this by connecting human behavior to eternal realities. He reminds us that if we are vengeful, the Lord can repay us with vengeance (Sir 28:1). He emphasizes that if we forgive the wrong done to us, then our sins will be forgiven by God. He tells us that seeking God’s forgiveness while refusing forgiveness to others is foolishness as is seeking healing from God while nourishing anger. Similarly, to refuse mercy while pleading for God’s mercy is senseless. Rather, wisdom invites us to live life today from the perspective of eternity. It invites us to live life from the big-picture-perspective. “Remember your last days” says Sirach, “and set enmity aside” (Sir 28:6).
In the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” Jesus builds on the wisdom tradition. At the end of the parable, Jesus says, “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart” (Mt 18:35). In the Beatitudes he taught, “Blesses are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Mt 5:7).But Jesus did not merely preach wisdom. He acted wisely. Even from the cross he overlooked faults, and as Sirach wrote, forgave his neighbor’s injustice. Human redemption was accomplished through Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness. Jesus was the wisest of them all.
As we celebrate this Eucharist, let us pray that we will not only deal with anger, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness with wisdom, but that we live life wisely, keeping in mind the eternity God has in store for us.
- Fr. Satish Joseph