Contemplating today’s culture with the wisdom of St. Francis.
The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so, you engage in disputes and conflicts. James 3:17-18; 4:1a,2b
Wisdom – such an overlooked concept in today’s world. Many claim to have wisdom, and few are “wise enough” to know that they really do not have wisdom. Wisdom is not about knowing more than another person. The author of James states that wisdom from above is pure. In God’s terms, it means looking at one’s self, others, and the world in terms of how God alone sees things. Only from that perspective is true wisdom obtained.
Listening to commentators, news reporters, influencers, and marketers can give information and/or opinions but never wisdom. Information comes to a person from the outside. Wisdom is discovered deeply within a person. That deep space is where you nad God talk, discuss, and commune. This is often called contemplation. While this may seem to be an unlikely place to find wisdom today, it has not been so in the past.
The church for centuries led people into direct communion with God as seen through the early church mystics. Tragically, the church began to replace contemplative practice with seeking wisdom through rational thought. To be saved eventually required reciting the “correct” answers to the church’s questions. Direct communication with God (Wisdom) was frowned upon, and all thought was directed to the clergy for monitoring and examination. Hence, a growing loss of peace ensued, along with missing the root cause of our discontent in the world.
Without God’s wisdom, we constantly find ourself in conflict with others. That results in never-ending disputes. On our own, we are not wise enough to look at ourselves. We are unable to quell conflict, stop blaming others, and cease our repetitive complaining. Neither are we savvy enough to know how to extricate ourselves from insidious disputes. Usually, disputes simply go underground waiting for an opportune time to resurrect an old grudge with another; and we do so all in the name of being able to say, “I was right.” (Oh, such false wisdom!)
The scripture passage in James states that conflicts and disputes "come from your cravings that are at war within you." What we feel about a situation has little, if anything, to do with the other person in a conflict situation. Conflict stems from our own unresolved issues of not getting what we want, and not fully trusting God to resolve the issue in God’s own way. We want the issue to be resolved in our way, and in our time, and without us losing control of the situation.
With God’s wisdom, there is no reason for conflict or disputes; and that covers the full gamut from electing a president to the simple task of selecting a tablecloth for an event. And, when conflict and disputes arise, always remember that there is the gift of confession (i.e., owning one’s self-centered attitude) and forgiveness.
Practicing the true wisdom of God is shown in peace. All actions are gentle. When differing points of view are expressed, wisdom holds within it an openness and “willingness to yield.” Wisdom is always full of mercy and good fruits. And within wisdom's center there is no trace of partiality or hypocrisy.
Remember the blessings of using the wisdom of God in situations of potential conflict and dispute. There is a rich harvest of righteousness when done in peace and with others who make peace.
Prayers and Blessings,
Fr. John
