"Risen Lamb Writings"
"Whispers of Light" (part 2)
Jesus, the Word of God on high, the
fountain of wisdom, offers us a share in his seven gifts of the Holy Spirit,
the "mystical treasures" that flow from his pierced heart. These "whispers of
light" grow in the context of an intimate union with the Lamb. The first of
these gifts that we consider is the gift of wisdom. In doing so, we will speak
first of all of Wisdom Incarnate, Jesus Christ.
In Wis. 9:1, we read, "Wisdom has
built her house"; and in Prov. 24:3: "By wisdom is a house built."
To begin, we note two things: first of all, wisdom "builds"; and secondly, what
wisdom builds, wisdom owns. St. Peter exhorts us:
"Let yourselves be built into a
spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).
Wisdom,
then, "builds" an intercessor! God desires every intercessor to be a
sanctified, spiritual and prayerful "dwelling place in the Spirit": "You have
chosen this house to bear your name, to be a house of prayer and
petition for your people" ( 1Mc. 7:37). Wisdom's house is always God's
house. The "building" of an intercessor is a process just as the building of a
house is a process. First, one must learn to surrender. Wisdom "builds" an
intercessor by first renewing him in love, and befriending him in contemplative
communion. Then, faith begins to grow. Faith is foundational.
In
Mt. 16:18 Jesus says, "Upon this rock I will build my church."
This rock is the rock of solid faith. As
faith grows within one's heart, the gift of wisdom begins to be activated. As
St. Louis De Montfort reminds us: "As faith is the foundation of all
religion, so is it the basis of all wisdom and perfection"(St. Louis De
Montfort, cited in Jesus Living in Mary:Handbook
of the Spirituality of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, p. 1259): A "believer
is "built" gradually and advances by the responses given to God, who calls" (Dictionary
of Mary, p. 124).
In the fullness of time, the Word--Wisdom
himself-- built a house in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary in order to
offer his life on the cross as "Saving Love", and to renew humanity in his
image (see Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary: "Mary, Seat
of Wisdom", vol. I, p. 133).
In Is. 56:7, the Lord says, "My
house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." We note
that it is both "My" house, and for "all" peoples. An intercessor's life always belongs to
God--not to oneself! Wisdom's house is always God's house: "You are mine" (Is.
43:1). St. Paul reminds us of this truth
when he says, "I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me" (Gal.
2:19B-20). It is the life of Jesus within an intercessor's heart that is the
root of all effective intercession. Belonging to God completely, an intercessor
is formed to be a prayer warrior--a house of prayer--to share in God's love for
all peoples!
Jesus is "crucified" Wisdom just as he is the
"crucified" Word. An intercessor is invited to share in the crucified love of
the Lamb of God in the world. Wisdom, himself, "builds" an intercessor in the midst of a communion of love. This is
a covenant relationship that is established by God in our hearts meant
to "bear fruit for the multitudes" (see CCC #'s 2713, 2719). As St. Bernard
reminds us, "Let all our dealings be in the heart, where Christ
dwells" (St. Bernard, abbot, cited in LH vol. IV, p.231).
The primary end which the gift of
wisdom achieves within an intercessor is holiness of life. For, a holy heart is
a praying heart! We must learn to yield to the Holy Spirit if we are to be made
holy. Jesus "builds" an intercessor into a "house of prayer" where love of God
and love of humanity unite in a single embrace. God promises us, "I will fill this
house with glory" (Hag. 2:7). This glory is the Spirit of the Father and
the Son living within an intercessor, where the Lamb continues to pray and to
offer to the Father in a holy communion of life. Hence:
"There is an appointed time...a time to
build" (Eccl. 3:1,3); "behold, now is a very acceptable time" (2 Cr.
6:2).
Questions:
1) What
aspect of my life am I struggling to surrender to the Lord at this time?
2) How
have I responded and prayed when my faith has been tested in recent times?
Scriptures:
Any scripture from the text; John 14:23; Acts 20:32
