Many of the New Year’s Resolutions people make, like decreasing screen time, losing weight, or quitting smoking, really can be simplified to the principle of “making better decisions.” Another way of describing this capacity for better decision-making is to grow in the virtue of prudence, which is often defined as practical wisdom. Without realizing it, those of us making these similar resolutions are actually just praying for the gift of wisdom. Fortunately, we Catholics not only enjoy wisdom as a gift of the Holy Spirit from our baptism, but we also have a blueprint for this gift. God literally wrote the book on it.
The Deuterocanonical book of Wisdom, found only in Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments, has been a gem for saints and scholars looking to better understand God’s will for their lives. As we embark on a new year, let’s reflect on some of these jewels so that we can grow in our understanding and appreciation of God’s will. Let’s grow in wisdom!
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1. “For the holy spirit of discipline flees deceit and withdraws from senseless counsels and is rebuked when unrighteousness occurs.” (Wisdom 1:5)
Wisdom does not come easy. To grow in wisdom requires discipline, and discipline requires fortitude. While fortitude is often associated with courage in battle, it also includes perseverance in the face of adversity. There are points where the year gets long and persistence is necessary. While this verse warns of “senseless counsels,” there is something to be said about strength, or fortitude, in numbers. Finding like-minded Catholics and building community helps ensure a strong start to the new year. This year, instead of rushing out of Mass after the recessional hymn, I plan to approach that family I don’t recognize and introduce myself, welcoming them. It is a necessary first step to future community.
2. “Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.” (Wisdom 3:5-6)
It is one thing for a Christian to see themselves as precious to God like gold, but another to remember how that gold came to be so beautiful and pure. Similar to St. Paul’s reference to our works passing through fire in 1 Corinthians 3:15, so too are we purified in order to be “greatly blessed” (Wisdom 3:5). St. Paul also must have liked this verse because he alludes to it again in Romans 12:1 when he told Christians to present themselves as “living sacrifices” to God, much like the “sacrificial offerings” mentioned here (Wisdom 3:6). We are brought closer to God because of this purification, and we should focus on our ultimate goal, union with God, when we experience moments of adversity. If you struggle with the “offer it up” prayer, consider approaching daily difficulties with the question, “How is God training me in sacrifice?” Remember, it was the sacrifices that went up to God.
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3. “For God loves nothing so much as the one who dwells with Wisdom.” (Wisdom 7:28)
This is not God showing favoritism, but instead a reflection of the closeness that participation in Wisdom facilitates. One is reminded of Jesus’s instructions to “abide” with him because he is Wisdom Incarnate (John 15:4). It is no accident that the so-called “beloved disciple” is also the one who draws close to Jesus at the Last Supper (John 13:23). The best way to abide with Wisdom today is to spend time in front of the Eucharist. There is no need to do anything, just be present to the one who loves you. Incorporate some of the fortitude from point one and make a plan. I try to go to Adoration on Mondays from 9:30-10 a.m. as a way to renew and refresh at the beginning of a new work week.
4. “[Wisdom] preserved him from foes, and secured him against ambush, And she gave him the prize for his hard struggle that he might know that devotion to God is mightier than all else.” (Wisdom 10:12)
While I wanted to use this whole chapter, I determined that would be cheating, so I chose one verse inside that illustrates my point. This chapter retells stories of famous Old Testament heroes like Abel, Lot, Joseph, and Moses, but with a unique twist. The author assumes we know the stories and shows how God’s Providence was actively present in them. It is a spiritual interpretation that would have been difficult to see in the moment. These heroes required faith to follow God’s will without being able to look back like we can. I plan to look back on 2024 and ask myself where I found God. Whether it has been a tough past year or a smooth one, ask yourself where you felt God’s presence and where you struggled to feel it. This could be the first thing you bring to your new Eucharistic Adoration routine. Looking back on God’s presence in the past helps us look forward with the expectation that God will continue to work in our lives, even during low moments that arise this year.
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5. “For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen.” (Wisdom 13:5)
A nourishing spiritual practice largely credited to the Jesuits is the capacity to “find God in all things.” Far from being an excuse to simply indulge in the natural world, it encourages us to first know what our faith reveals to us about God. Then, we look more closely at the created world in order to recognize God’s presence. Both of these practices are works on contemplation that are valuable in and of themselves, but they will also refresh our minds and hearts to experience God’s presence in new ways.
6. “But as a warning, for a short time they were terrorized, though they had a sign of salvation, to remind them of the precept of your law.” (Wisdom 16:6)
This refers to the wandering Israelites after crossing the Red Sea. They were troubled by the fiery serpents in the desert until God instructed Moses to build the bronze serpent, and looking upon it healed them. This reminds us of the troubles that will come in life, some by our own fault and some not, which are only temporary and meant to be instructive. This is a much easier said than lived sentiment, but it is one often mentioned throughout Scripture. Our trials should, and can with our cooperation, purify and bring us closer to God.
7. “For every way, LORD! You magnified and glorified your people; unfailing, you stood by them in every time and circumstance.” (Wisdom 19:22)
The Book of Wisdom closes with a final assurance that God will continue to look after his Chosen People. At the point of writing the Book of Wisdom, his chosen people were the people of Israel who had experienced the hardship of exile, displacement and oppression for hundreds of years leading up to the time of Jesus. Reading it now, this includes all members of the Church who travel through life serving God and seeking his assurance in many trials. Just as God has long helped his people and remembered his covenants going back to our first parents, let us still find hope in his promises to be with us now.
