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"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Cor. 1:25)

O Wisdom

Posted On: December 18th, 2006 at 12:16 am

OK, so it's a day late and a rerun from last year. I'd hate to let Pr. Weedon have a monopoly on the O Antiphons this year.

December 17
Readings: Proverbs 8 / Corinthians 1:18-31

O Sapientia,
quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter,
suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Wisdom,
proceeding from the mouth of the Most High,
pervading and permeating all creation,
mightily ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.

Wisdom is God’s spokeman, the One who speaks the truth about God from the mouth of God. By wisdom the simple gain prudence, and the foolish gain understanding. Wisdom is more precious than jewels; wisdom’s gifts are worth more than gold. Wisdom is a gift from God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Wisdom is knowledge and understanding shaped by the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Wisdom left its mark on the created order. Through Wisdom all things were created. Wisdom was with God before all things, and through Wisdom all things were made. The beauty of the stars, the splendor of the seas, the marvelous variety of birds and fishes, the intricacies of a DNA double-helix, the mystery of distant galaxies. These are Wisdom’s fingerprints. Science can dust for Designer’s fingerprints, but cannot see the designing hand. That can be perceivedonly by faith.

Man turned away from God seeks knowledge without the Wisdom of God. Information and facts. Study the creation without worshipping the Creator. Worship the creature instead of the Creator. “You can be like God,” said the original Lie. “You can have knowledge without God. Just reach in for yourself and grab it.” That is not the way of Wisdom but Folly, foolishness, unbelief. “The fool says in his heart there is no God.” The end of Folly is death.

Jesus Christ is Wisdom incarnate, holy Wisdom in the flesh. He is the “power of God and the wisdom of God.” “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He reflects the very glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power.” He is the “glue” that holds the universe together. Your cells, your DNA, a table, a chair - they hold together by the power of His word. It’s what the scientists search for and long to find. The ordering wisdom of the universe. The intelligent Designer. He is Jesus Christ - the One born in Bethlehem who hung on a cross and rose from the dead.

He teaches us the way of prudence, the way of Wisdom that leads to life. That way is the way of the cross, of dying and rising, of repentance and faith. This way is foolishness to the wordly-wise, yet to those made wise through His Word and Spirit, it is God’s holy wisdom to save. He will come to raise us one day.

And then you who are wise in Him will shine as the brightness of the heavens.

For more on the O Antiphons of Advent, head over to Aardvark Alley and Weedon's Blog.
Artwork: Spiral galaxy as seen through the Hubble telescope. Artist: God

Edited on: December 18th, 2007 6:51 pm