Breaking the Word

7^th Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 20^th February 2023 – Sirach 1,1-10;  Mark 9,14-29

Wisdom Personified

In the first reading we find that wisdom has an integral relationship with God. Although wisdom is distinct from God, wisdom was found to be with God, when he created the world. With this understanding the Christian scholars have linked wisdom with Jesus, the Word. Jesus, the Logos, epitomized the attributes of wisdom.  Like Wisdom, the Word of God was present with God at creation. Thus, Word of God becomes the fountain of Wisdom. Wisdom is more than intelligence. Wisdom is not only knowing the right information, but also using it in a way which builds up and enhances people and their relationship with God. Wisdom is the characteristic that enables one to think beyond oneself and to see how one can make a difference in others’ lives. Jesus’ constant relationship with the divine in prayer, helps him to cast out a demon from a boy. It was divine wisdom that guided Jesus in his ministry, enabling him to reach out and touch so many broken lives and bring them healing, wholeness and salvation.

6^th Week in Ord. Time, Saturday – 18^th February 2023 – Hebrews 11, 1-9; Mark 9,2-13

Faith in Practice

The first reading from the letter to the Hebrews summarizes what has been read over the last few weeks in the book of Genesis. The faith of the key individuals of the “Genesis” stories in the Bible is central to the Jewish and Christian religions. It is upon the faith of Abel, Enoch and Noah that foundations for monotheism have been laid. Those key figures showed that they believed in God, even though they had not seen God as did Adam and Eve. Faith, then, is the ability to take what has been handed down to us and move forward with the assurance that God will fulfill all of what God has promised. In other words, Faith brings the future within the present and makes the invisible seen. Faith is confidence in the trustworthiness of God. It is the conviction that what God says is true and that what He promises will come to pass.