20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

Some people think that they are very wise, or that they supposingly have wisdom beyond their years. Others think that they are very intelligent. But is an intelligent person considered a wise person? If a person is clever in doing something or accomplishing something, is that person considered wise? Sometimes we come across people who have given up much of their time and wealth helping others. There are some in society who view such people as foolish, silly or stupid, since they think that such people could have used their time "wisely" for better pursuits. But are such people wise in helping others? Or are those who think these folks are being foolish, silly or stupid the ones who are wise? What is wisdom, really?

In Proverbs 9:10, we are told: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." This is quite a different picture of wisdom from what the world thinks as wisdom. In fact, St. Paul in today's second reading reminds us: "Be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people. This may be a wicked age, but your lives should redeem it. And do not be thoughtless but recognize what is the will of the Lord." When we are thinking with the mind of God, when we learn to fear Him with awe and reverence, we begin to learn and appreciate true wisdom, which is God's wisdom.

This is why we would never be able to reconcile human wisdom with God's wisdom. One classic example of how human wisdom differs greatly from God's wisdom is the Eucharist. We Christians believe that Jesus is truly present in the consecrated bread and wine. The bread may continue to look and taste like bread, but our faith tells us that it is no longer bread but Christ himself. This is something really hard to understand or accept if we rely only on human wisdom. Moreover, in the Gospel, Jesus insisted that He is the living bread from heaven and that anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. Not only that, Jesus insisted that his "flesh" is that bread of life. Naturally, the Jews reacted in an understandable way, since they relied on human wisdom and logical intelligence, and they even argued among themselves: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” But God's wisdom does not need to be logical, since His wisdom goes beyond our logic and our limited understanding. At Communion, it is Jesus that we are receiving, his flesh, his body. This may sound like foolishness or absurdity to the world, but for us it is wisdom, since we know and believe that Jesus is the only food that can satisfy all our wants and desires.

Therefore, let us not focus too much only on trying to be intelligent or clever, since these things are only temporary and will fail us some day. Let us also not depend too much on human wisdom, since what appears to be wise in human terms may not necessarily be so in God's terms. Instead, let us make more effort to seek divine wisdom, so that with God's help and guidance, we will grow closer to Him and one day be with Him for all eternity.