Wisdom. It’s one of those things we’re always searching for but rarely recognize because it is often confused with its kissing-cousin, knowledge. Both wisdom and knowledge are gifts of the Holy Spirit so both are Good, of course. I used an analogy of the lowly tomato when talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit to Confirmation students – it’s relevant for our purposes today:
Knowledge – knowing that a tomato develops from the fertilized ovary of a flower and has seeds. It can be many colors, is round-ish, and prefers soil with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8.
Understanding – correctly classifying the tomato as a fruit.
Counsel – letting others know that, really, a tomato is a fruit.
Fortitude – continuing to let people know that fact, even though they disagree and/or make fun of you or even pelt you with them in fun.
Piety – thanking God for the abundant varieties of tomatoes.
Awe of God – realizing that God created more than 10,000 different varieties of tomatoes for our own enjoyment and use (let that sink in!). How awe-some is that?!
Wisdom – Not putting a tomato in a fruit salad.
In this analogy, wisdom has as much to do with knowing what-not-to-do as well as what-to-do… and therein is the beauty of Wisdom. Our reading this weekend is correct: Resplendent and unfading is wisdom, readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. She wants to be known, is joyfully available to us, and gracious in the bestowal of her gifts. Our lives will be rich and lacking-in-regret should we seek her out.
Alas. We often chase knowledge instead of courting wisdom.
Courting wisdom brings us to the Gospel reading. The fact that Jesus uses a wedding feast to describe those who are wise - and those who are not - is intentional. You see, the foolish virgins chase the knowledge of the world (cultural merchants) instead of filling their flasks with the light of Christ (Church teaching). I get it. In the folly of my youth (ahem… adult, pre-conversion life), I filled my lamp with the oil I bought from culture. A dash of power-for-women, a pinch of fulfil-personal-desire-at-all-cost, and a spot of honor-the-god-of-sport, all made for a lamp that gave off the wrong color of light.
I had all the knowledge of the world. But no wisdom.
The good news today isn’t actually the Gospel - that’s just Jesus’ cautionary tale. The good news is in Paul’s letter to the Jesus-followers in Thessalonica. They’ve built a small faith community that is under cultural siege… but they remain relentlessly faithful to the works and words of Jesus. They love him and it shows. Despite what their Jewish neighbors say about YHWH or what their Roman captors believe to be true about the gods, they ignored the rhetoric and remain true to Jesus. To others, it looked like a foolish choice, for to follow Jesus meant hardship and even death. Yet it was a very wise decision.
You see, they too had the knowledge of the world around them, socially, politically, and religiously. But they chose and loved Jesus in order to bring heaven to earth… and then spend an eternity with Him. Which gave them hope, despite the disasters of the world around them. Oh, that we might do the same. #courtwisdom