Thursday, November 14, 2019


Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

(Wisdom 7:22b-8:1; Luke 17:20-25)

The first reading today remarkably resembles St. Paul’s “Hymn to Love.”  The passage begins with a personification of wisdom as a spirit with many virtues: “In Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique…”  So too Paul will write of love as a person with excellent qualities: “Love is patient; love is kind;…”

The author of Wisdom goes on to describe wisdom in action.  He writes: “…she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity…(she) renews everything while herself perduring; and passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets.”  Paul also describes acts of love: “(Love) rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

People have observed how the name “Christ” may be substituted for “love” with perfect sense in Paul’s letter: “(Christ) does not seek (his) own interests; (Christ) is not quick-tempered; (Christ) does not brood over injuries.”  “Christ” may also replace the word “wisdom” in today’s passage: For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with (Christ).  For (Christ) is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars.”

We should not be surprised that Christ epitomizes every virtue.  He is, after all, the perfect image of God, the Father.