A few years ago, I had the privilege of being trained in a Montessori-style faith formation program called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. In our training, I distinctly remember our Pentecost celebration. We solemnly processed around the classroom with our own individual, unlit candles, sang short, childlike hymns invoking the Holy Spirit, and settled in front of our prayer altar which had our Paschal candle front and center with seven other candles laid out in front of it representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
When we were called upon, we got to light our candle from the candle representing the gift we most desired. This was all very enchanting, but what struck me was our instructor’s definition of the gift of wisdom. “Wisdom,” he said, lighting the smaller wisdom flame from the big Paschal candle’s blaze, “is the gift of loving God above all else.” We all sat around nodding our heads in awe at the glowing lights surrounding us like the little children we would soon be teaching. Well, whether that definition of wisdom is the canonical Catechesis of the Good Shepherd definition or it just happened to be how our instructor defined it, it seems today’s Gospel reading concurs.
Cracking the Code
Our Lord’s parable is easy enough to follow–the Pharisees and their followers are determinedly dissatisfied. However, his closing statement is a code I will here attempt to crack: “But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” (Luke 7:35). How to decipher this cryptic message? Well, I propose we first plug in that aforementioned definition of wisdom: ‘to love God above all else.’ If we do this, we will have: ‘But loving God above all else is vindicated by all her children. ’Bingo!! Yes! No? Yeah, no. I still do not get it.
Who are the Children of Wisdom?
Loving God above all else [wisdom] is vindicated by all her children. Wait a minute, who are the children of wisdom? Well, there are at least two mentioned by our Lord immediately before this statement: John the Baptist and Himself. We can certainly imagine them both being offspring of the lovely Lady Wisdom. So loving God above all else [wisdom] is vindicated by all the John the Baptists and Jesuses [her children]?
The next key word is ‘all.’ As this is a parable, perhaps John the Baptist and Jesus can be broadened to ALL those who have the attributes that were specifically mentioned in this context. The ‘children of wisdom ’includes ALL those who go about as fasting ascetics and ALL those who go about feasting, ALL those who go about singing a dirge and ALL those who go about playing the flute. So, if we put it all together: loving God above all else [wisdom] is vindicated by both those who are fasting/mourning and those who are feasting/celebrating [all her children]. BOOM!
Still no clearer? Essentially, the Heart of Jesus is trying to share with us that putting God as number one does not look a particular way for every person all the time. It does not always look like complete asceticism, and it does not always look like living the Prosperity Gospel either. The Christian life is much more diverse than that, both amongst people and even within the same person.
Gift or Attachment?
To love God wisely, to love Him above all else, it is imperative to strip ourselves of our attachments–those things that we get really anxious about having or not having (whether it’s as simple as sugar-free jam or more life-altering like having a big family). It is those attachments that get in the way of loving Him as He deserves. However, becoming holier does not necessarily mean we are constantly choosing the harder, more disagreeable thing either. If we do that all the time, we leave no room for Him to give when He wishes to grant us a special little present. Imagine a father wanting to delight in giving his child some chocolate, and the child turning up its nose to it for pride of ‘giving up chocolate ’or running away in fear of it because they might become attached!
What is the Response?
Of course, there is something to be said about the fact that the majority of Christians have a harder time denying themselves a nice, hot shower after a stressful day rather than receiving one as a gift. If we are going to err, most of us are going to err on the side of attachment, comfort, and receiving, rather than self-denial and sacrifice. It may be a good litmus test to see if a particular gift is truly a God-intended gift or just a self-approved attachment by how we respond to receiving it. Does the gift truly lead me to praise and thank God, even wanting to think of Him and enjoy it in His company, and love Him more? Or does it make me say ‘thanks! ’and then hide in a corner so I can soak up all the pleasure I possibly can?
Wisdom, loving God above all else, is more than just the ability to go without; it is also the ability to go with while never being distracted from the Giver. Is this not just the best news? That we can love Him while singing a dirge and playing the flute? That we can love Him while enduring the hardest crosses as much as we can love Him in the most bountiful of seasons? That love is not all self-denial, but is also letting oneself be delighted in. Oh, Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, thank you that I can love You just as much when I am sacrificing for You as when I am being showered by Your gifts and blessings!
That last line! So beautiful, so true! Thanks for your reflection. God bless.