The readings for today show us that love and wisdom are the sure tools for dealing with the fear that comes with uncertainty. Such fear often intensifies when the uncertainty stems from an impending bad outcome brought about by our own hand. In other words, fear of uncertainty increases when any accounting would show that we are responsible for the doom and gloom we are about to experience, especially when it’s too late to change the outcome.
Malachi relies on exactly this scenario in the first reading to predict the fate of the proud and the evildoers. He predicts an inescapable day of reckoning for them that will result in their total obliteration, leaving them with neither root nor branch for their posterity. Oddly enough, there is an offer of hope in Malachi’s prediction. That hope comes with the exception he provides for those who follow the right path based on fear of the Lord.
Those who follow the path of respect and honor for God are the wise ones whose path is made clear by God (Prov 3:6). They know which way to go because they seek what God wants above all else (Mt 6:33). Their wisdom allows for a better outcome as determined by the healing rays of justice. Those who fear the Lord and live by His Word will be spared the inevitable doom and gloom that Malachi predicts for those who follow a different path.
Jesus offers this same hope when he predicts the total destruction of the temple. Despite its beauty and the many offerings made there, Jesus predicts an impending and inevitable end to its existence. No stone will be left unturned. Someone asks for a sign to know when this is about to happen, and Jesus responds with a list of signs, rather than just one. He understands our need for signs. Signs are useful because they always point to something beyond. Good signs always point to the truth.
There are many such signs in the New Testament. These signs always point to the wisdom that those who believe in Jesus and follow his way will have a new life in him. Jesus is therefore the cause of our hope and the source of our wisdom. In this sense, the kind of wisdom revealed in the New Testament is different from worldly wisdom. The New Testament speaks about spiritual wisdom.
Spiritual wisdom is not something we acquire by our own work alone. Spiritual wisdom is not simply the product of our study, learning, and experience. Spiritual wisdom in essence is a generous and loving gift from the Holy Spirit (1Cor.12:8; Eph.1:17). When we pray for this gift, the Holy Spirit honors our request and enables us to know the right thing to do in particular circumstances; to do what God wants, to take the right path. The wisdom of the Holy Spirit is thus our sure guide to a life filled with hope for a good outcome.
All of us receive the essence of this wisdom from the first moment of our existence. This gift of wisdom is none other than the light of Christ. Because all things are made through Christ, and without him nothing is made, Christ is the life and the light of everyone, the true light that enlightens every person coming into this world (Jn 1:3-4, 9; Kasper, p. 529). In this sense, spiritual wisdom is not a state of mind, but the light of Christ that stands ready at every moment to show us what direction to take. We simply have to want to see with His light.
For that reason, the light that we receive from the beginning to find our way through the darkness is a seed. As with any seed, it must be protected and nourished to blossom into a full outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For the Christian, the first and most fundamental way of protecting and nurturing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is through baptism. The liturgical rite of Baptism inaugurates our life in Christ and formally incorporates us into the body of Christ, our faith community.
Baptism is not only a sacrament of rebirth and initiation into the body of Christ, however. Baptism is also a call to live as a disciple of Christ. Through baptism, we receive a mission to be witnesses to Christ (Matt. 28:19; Kasper, p.530). We are baptized to be Christ to others, to be a sacrament of love, both for ourselves and for others. Indeed, the baptized are called to proclaim the mighty acts of God, both in attitude and in conduct (1 Pet. 2:5, 9).
What enables us to live out our call to discipleship is the wisdom of God, the light of Christ that we receive from the Holy Spirit. The wisdom of the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must be solicitous in protecting our baptismal call (2 Peter 1:10-11). This is why St. Paul urges us many times to put on the heart and mind of Christ and live in the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:14). Only in this way will our hearts of stone become hearts of flesh. Only with the heart and mind of Christ can we love others as He loves us (1 Jn4:9-11).
St. Paul describes the life of one who lives in the Spirit in terms of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). These are the fruits of living in the Spirit. Fruit is an interesting metaphor that Paul uses to describe the results of this way of life. Fruit is something that we take in, we eat it, and we are nourished by it, though we may not know how. Paul uses this metaphor to show that the Holy Spirit works in the same way.
As we are willing to open our hearts and accept the grace of the Holy Spirit, especially through sacrament, prayer and good works, we receive the light of Christ. We take in the light of Christ, the wisdom of God, as an interior guide and teacher that transforms our lives and way of thinking. How the Holy Spirit does this is not clear, but the results are evident in our attitude and conduct. Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us a spirit of power and love and self-control that eradicates all fear (2 Tim 1:7).
We know we have cooperated with the wisdom of God and live in the Spirit of Christ when we are peacemakers, when we are patient, when we are kind, loving, and understanding. The wisdom of God shows us that we can become peacemakers by seeking peace; we become patient by resisting impatience; we become understanding when we seek to understand; we become loving the more we love.
Living in the Spirit is thus more than showing a respectful tolerance of each other. The Holy Spirit motivates us to take an active regard for the welfare of others, especially those in need. As Paul puts it in the second reading for today, we are to earn our keep—mind our own business—and do the work of God (2 Thes 3:12). When we live this way, we live by the love and wisdom of God. In that case, we have nothing to fear in the outcome.
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