A reflection on Wisdom 6:12–16 for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.
Sometimes I ask for advice after I already know what I want to hear. If the answer is unappealing, I can ask someone else. Eventually, someone will align with my own sound judgment. I will stop asking at the right moment.
The reading from Wisdom suggests a different approach. Wisdom is eager to meet those who seek her. She is already sitting at the gate. The problem is that I keep walking right past her in search of someone more agreeable.
I do this with politics. I can read an opinion that supports my position and accept its claims with very little effort. Someone challenges that position, and all of the sudden I am a world class researcher, inspecting every word. I call that careful judgment. Sometimes it is simply a way to protect an attitude I have been growing in my mind.
Not being aligned to either political party does not spare me from this. I can be very attached to the idea that I am less attached than everyone else. My Catholic faith ought to make me willing to examine my loyalties, including the ones I consider sensible and balanced. Instead, I can spend time looking for a Catholic voice that gives religious weight to what I already think.
Wisdom asks more of me. Before sharing a claim, I should check whether it is true. When a policy sounds reasonable, I can listen to someone who would have to live with its effects. When an argument makes me angry, I can ask what exactly I am defending. I need to look closely at the ideas and people I support, especially when another person’s dignity is involved.
I can’t accept every opinion I hear. But I want to give an unwelcome truth the same attention I give a welcome one. God sometimes answers my prayer for wisdom through someone I would not have chosen to consult.
Lord, help me seek wisdom with an honest heart. Show me where pride or habit has narrowed my judgment. Give me patience with those who challenge me and courage to change my mind when I need to. Let my faith shape my convictions, and help me act with care for those affected by them. Amen.
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