PHOTO: Mary van Balen PICASSO PLATE – GIFT FROM WOMAN ACTIVE IN THE FRENCH PEACE MOVEMENT The Scripture reading from Morning Prayer today (Proverbs 8. , 32-36) as well as the OT reading from Mass (Ws 7. 22b-8.1) speak of the importance of seeking Wisdom and Understanding: “Happy are those who keep my ways. Listen to instruction and grow wise…Happy the one who listens to me, attending daily at my gates, keeping watch at my doorstep.”
Opening oneself to Wisdom is a daily affair. The Holy One is always pouring out Divine Self, Wisdom, and we are called to “attend daily.”
The reading from Mass beautifully describes Wisdom in all her feminine glory. She is spirit, which means, as any reference to Spirit or to Holy One, that Wisdom/Spirit is neither male or female as we define gender. Spirit is beyond human gender. Of course, Christians are accustomed to hearing male pronouns when reading or speaking about God. Today’s reading from Wisdom is refreshingly filled with feminine pronouns – perhaps more noticeable to the women among us.
The author a long list of attributes. Here are a few for your reflection:
“For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.”
“For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty.”
“And she, who is one, can do all things and renews everything while herself perduring; And passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets.”
Wisdom is presented as a feminine face of God…as the Spirit who dwells in each of us.
Holy Wisdom, One worthy of our daily attention.
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