32nd Sunday A 8 November 2026 Wisdom
We are very fortunate that we have the ability as humans to reflect on our situation.
We might say that such reflection is not likely to lead to happiness, but if undertaken properly it will make a lot of difference.
It is an ability that can be abused and often is. When a person can behave in a way that does not express human dignity. For example, certain soldiers act like wild animals in making havoc.
We deplore inhumanity when we encounter it. Torture, enslavement, addictions to drugs, alcohol, pornography. These things debase human dignity.
We can rebuild what has been forfeited, and we do that gladly. The power of reflection means that we can interact with God.
One part of that rebuilding is to sing God's praise - which He does not need, but it does need to happen.
Wisdom is reconciling ourselves with God, and other people.
Wisdom is knowing the place of everything. When we sin we make things worse; when we repent we make them better.
Wisdom is from the Holy Spirit. God knows everything and why it is so. He can impart that wisdom to us, as much as we can handle.
Wisdom enables us to reflect on the course of action proposed. We can acquire it as a habit. We can lock it into place as the only sensible course of action. When I face a choice where there really is no choice - I must choose good over evil.
Wisdom is the right use of time, putting every moment at the service of God. Whatever stage of life we are at, we can use well the time that remains to us.
Wisdom is coming to know God and doing the sort of thing He wants from us.
Much of it is fairly obvious as
it reflects God's order.
We know God well enough for some things. We cannot know everything but the more the better.
Many feel abandoned by God, but wisdom tells us that would be impossible.
If we feel we are sinking into the water, like Peter, and our faith is sinking too, we know that God would never leave us; He will guide us into better places.
Wisdom at one level tells us what to do next. At another level it reaffirms God's goodness and reliability. In all circumstances our trust will be justified.
To make up for the abuse of wisdom we can make reparation, whereby we set things back to equilibrium.
The human race has massively disobeyed God, and not given Him what He wanted.
This sets up a need in itself, to apologize to God and start afresh.
The human race, with its privileges, has much work to do to restore what has been lost.
We believe it is possible to do this; however if we cannot achieve everything we can at least reduce the disorder and restore things to some degree.
The five wise bridesmaids carried wisdom with them, such that they were always wise. Having the necessary fuel (in their case, oil) they could cope at any time with anything..
We carry wisdom with us when we pray, when we activate our link with God because never far from Him.
The foolish, meanwhile, are in chaos and will not recover unless they make sincere repentance. God searches for them; they must search for Him.
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