4 September 2016
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sometimes it feels like the path that we are on is a crooked one. We wander about, seeking various achievements and comforts, fleeing from various ailments and difficulties. We are jerked now this way, now that way, and we may start to wonder where our path is leading us. We sometimes become impatient with others who are on equally wandering paths. “Give it to me straight” means cut out all the spin and just get to the point.
The fact is that the deliberations of all of us mortals are timid, and our plans are unsure, just as it is written in Wisdom, chapter nine. This is because we really understand very little of what’s going on around us, not to mention higher truth. Do you even understand how your computer is working right now? What is your own DNA sequence? If these things that are nearby are mysterious to you, how can you expect to know anything about the next life, or angels, or even God Himself?
But do not despair. The same chapter of the book of Wisdom acknowledges that we, indeed, could never have understood God’s purpose, EXCEPT that He gave us Wisdom, and sent His Holy Spirit from on high. We must not forget this. By pondering the wisdom that God has revealed, and by seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to cut through all the spin and to see the point of all of this. “Thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.”