1 Corinthians 2:6-10: The Freedom of Wisdom
Thursday, February 29, 2024
We scour bookshelves. We search the Internet. We gather with friends. We quiz colleagues. We share our deepest worries with loved ones. Our pursuit of wisdom is a universal human quest and our search consumes much of our time; yet the knowledge we so avidly seek is a knowledge we already hold, the eternal mindfulness that springs from God’s wisdom. We only need open our hearts to God’s Word.
St. Paul tells us: We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground . . . but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so.
God says: You need not succumb to your fears and anxieties. Bring them to me and my Spirit will quiet them. When you put your faith in the world and the skills you have honed to get the best of that world, you rely on fleeting talents. When you stand on your trust in me, you stand on firm ground. This is the wisdom you seek.
St. Paul continues: God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of God’s purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out God’s best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is.
God says: You need not give in to your anger and resentment. Bring these passions to me and my Spirit will transform them. I live in you for an eternity and my plan is to bring you home to me. When you place your hope in the promises of the world, you rely on potentials that can never develop. When you hope in me, you hope in God’s own purpose. This is the wisdom that redeems.
We are offered the gift of a quiet, internal wisdom that brings calm in the chaos. We are given the promise of eternal deliverance from all that we fear. We are blessed with the freedom to choose God’s endless and redemptive wisdom. To this gift and promise we open our hearts. For this gift and promise let us give thanks.
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