[Two to three hundred yeas BC “wisdom” was a big theme
throughout the Mediterranean world. Some teachers wrote the Hebrew
Wisdom they taught. These Wisdom books are used by Catholics but not by
most Protestants. Wisdom is described as a person, and is usually
feminine. Early Christian thinking about the Holy Spirit was built upon
knowledge of the person of God’s wisdom.
The created world is beautifully portrayed in today’s passage. No cosmic
battle here as is found in some of the other ancient creation myths.
There is only one God who effortlessly establishes the entire universe
in tranquillity and order. There is rejoicing in this created world, and
humankind is singled out in a special way]
[Today’s Psalm is a hymn that praises God for some of the wonders of the
universe]
The Wisdom of God cries aloud,
The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest
of his works. From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning,
before earth came into being. The deep was not, when I was born, there
were no springs to gush with water. Before the mountains were settled,
before the hills, I came to birth; before he made the earth, the
countryside, or the first grains of the worlds dust. When he fixed the
heavens firm, I was there, when he drew a ring on the surface of the
deep, when he thickened the clouds above, when he fixed fast the springs
of the deep, when he assigned the sea its boundaries - and the waters
will not invade the shore - when he laid down the foundations of the
earth, I was by his side, a master craftsman, delighting him day after
day, ever at play in his presence, at play everywhere in his world,
delighting to be with the sons of men.
[For Paul, our justification is an accomplished fact. We are reconciled with God; our sins already forgiven and in a right relationship with God. God is the author of this justification but it has been accomplished through Jesus Christ. Because of the reconciliation won for us by Christ, the love of God is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. There is a Trinitarian theme present, appropriate to today’s feast. Christ brings us to God, and the Spirit comes to us from that same God. God, Christ and the Spirit are all involved in our union with God.]
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, by faith we are judged righteous and at peace with God, since it is by faith and through Jesus that we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast about looking forward to God's glory. But that is not all we can boast about; we can boast about our sufferings. These sufferings bring patience, as we know, and patience brings perseverance, and perseverance brings hope, and this hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us.
[The doctrine of the Trinity was only gradually developed in the Church. A striking feature of this passage is its stress on the common working of Jesus, his father and the Spirit of truth. They possess in common; they act in common.]
Jesus said to his disciples:
'I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for
you now.
But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete
truth,
since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he
has learnt;
and he will tell you of the things to come.
He will glorify me, since all he tells you will be taken from what is
mine.
Everything the Father has is mine;
that is why I said:
All he tells you will be taken from what is mine.'
A
1. What word or phrase stands out for you? Why?
2. With whom in the readings do you most identify? Why
3. Do you feel attracted to anything in today’s readings? Do you feel
resistant to anything? Do you know why?
4. In what way do these readings affirm you?
5. In what way do these readings challenge you?
6. What can you do to respond to this challenge?
B
1. How important is hope in your life? What keeps you going in times of
stress?
2. How do you recognise untruth? How do you keep yourself open to the
truth?
3. How has your view of God changed during your lifetime? What caused
the change?
4. “The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit
which has been given us.” What are the implications of that statement
(from second reading) for you? Does it lead to action?
5. In what difficult situation has the Holy Spirit helped you to see
more clearly?
“I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”
In the first reading we hear primordial wisdom, the only witness to
God’s creative activity, describe the ease and artistry with which the
almighty fashioned our universe. The splendor of creation is but a
reflection of the magnificence of the wondrous creator. For our part,
all we need to do is look around to behold the expanse of the sky that
covers and the generosity of the earth that feeds us. The natural world
is a canvas upon which is painted awesome beauty; it is a storehouse of
nourishment and delight. This all comes to us from the hand of the
Creator.
“I believe in Jesus Christ, [God’s] only son, our Lord.” In all Paul’s
writings, the great Christological teacher insists that it is Jesus who
saves us. In today’s reading, he further explains how each person of the
Trinity plays a role in that salvation. It begins with faith in Jesus.
This faith justifies us, thus establishing peace with God. This new
relationship of peace is the basis of our hope. Furthermore, Paul
declares that “the love of God has been poured into our hearts through
the Holy Spirit.” In this short reading we find the faith, hope and love
that must be the ground of our Christian living. We also see how each
one of these virtues is related to the other two.
“I believe in the Holy Spirit.” In the Gospel account for today, Jesus
refers to this Spirit as the spirit of truth. As in the passage from
Paul, here too all three divine persons work in our lives. Jesus says
that his father has given all things to him; Jesus himself teaches us
truths that we will not yet be able to understand; finally it is the
Spirit who glorifies Jesus and guides us in our search for the truth of
Jesus’ teaching. We might say that Jesus teaches us what the Father
wants us to know so that we can live lives of integrity. Because this
teaching is too deep for us to comprehend, the Spirit brings us to an
understanding of it.
Today’s readings help us to realize that we have been saved by our
triune God and are continually brought by this same God to a deeper
appreciation of the truths of our life. That life is one of union with
God and with one another. The unity within the Trinity is the model
placed before us today. The three divine persons work together for the
salvation of all. So too must we work together for the good of all.
In making the sign of the cross next time, think of the love of God poured
out into your heart -“The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit which has been given us”
Pray over how the Trinity as a community of Persons should influence our
relations with others.
Pray about ways in which the Spirit is leading the church today to break down
barriers that separate people and nations.