Homily: Feast of St. Josaphat
Feast of St. Josaphat (Wis. 13:1-9) “Wise is Better than Smart”
The Bible has a whole section of wisdom literature. This would include books like Psalms and Proverbs and the Book of Wisdom that we read from at today’s Mass. Wisdom literature was written around the time of the Exile in Babylon. The purpose of such works was to preserve the Hebrew culture and tradition in a time when the Jews were diaspora.
We could reflect for a moment on what wisdom is. Wisdom is a gift of the spirit. In fact, it is the first gift listed which usually means that it is the most important. Someone once said that it is the perfection of the Theological virtue of faith.
Wisdom is not equated with being intelligent which does not mean that intelligent people can’t be wise. But wisdom does not necessarily arrive with the appropriation of academic degrees. We all have probably known people who perform extraordinarily well in their educational endeavors but lack a basic level of common sense.
People who are not all that well educated can be wise. I can think of my grandfather who only had a fifth-grade education. He was an immigrant from Belgium. He made his way to the United States in 1912. He fought in World War I. He then began farming during the great depression. He learned through all those experiences not to trust in divine providence. He went to Mass every Sunday. He did not talk about his faith but lived it. There was a wisdom there that was palpable. His grandchildren liked to be in his presence. He was our Pa-Pa.
As we read through the Book of Wisdom the sayings are strung together like beads on a rosary. We could read the last line of the first reading today to find where wisdom originates.
“For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its Lord?”
Reflection Questions:
- Who is the wisest person I have known? How well educated were they?
- Does Wisdom come for God? Do I feel wiser now than when I was young?
Dear Parishioner,
Fr. Matthew visited and anointed residents at Overlook Senior Center and at Amber Ridge assisted living this week. I had gone to Amber Ridge Memory Care and ProMedica to anoint people in those locations a couple weeks ago. We are trying to visit nursing homes again. We will try to visit when we can. These four facilities are the ones that are either in the boundaries of the parish or close to our boundaries. The usual pastoral practice is for a parish to provide sacraments for Catholics at the facilities that sit within its boundaries.
We will go to other nursing homes when people request this, and we will always go to homes if the sick or infirmed need us to come to them. I made a visit this week when someone requested it. There are usually two or three calls that we make a week.
I have heard today that COVID numbers are on the rise again in our county. The battle continues. Let us pray for all those who are vulnerable in our community and those who grieving the loss of a loved one to the Coronavirus. We still have a journey ahead.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark