Thursday 26 September 2024

Today is Thursday the 26th of September in the 25th week of Ordinary Time. The Porter’s Gate sings, ‘The Promise’. This gift you gave from the beginning Warm light, dry land, blue water brimming And more, from the earth there came a growing From seed to bloom, all the while you were sowing It was love, love given in the water And peace, God's peace written in the letters Of the earth, God's earth, given with a promise Can we keep it Can we keep it And stars in the night to gaze on them kindly Great light, cool moon, all aligned in the sky, see From water came life and so from the land To feed, not to fight, to stand hand in hand It was love, love given in the water And peace, God's peace, given in the sunshine And the earth, God's earth, given with a promise Can we keep it Out from the silence I hear a voice, I follow it onwards You whisper to me, I am reminded of every gift you gave So, spirit lead me unto the waters, unto the earth you made Teach me the secret to ever care for, to look after it It was love, love given in the water And peace, God's peace written in the letters Of the earth, God's earth, given with a promise Can we keep it Can we keep it Today’s reading is from the Book of Ecclesiasticus. Ecclesiasticus 1:2-11 The sand of the sea, the drops of rain,  and the days of eternity—who can count them? The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth,  the abyss, and wisdom—who can search them out? Wisdom was created before all other things,  and prudent understanding from eternity. The root of wisdom—to whom has it been revealed?  Her subtleties—who knows them? There is but one who is wise, greatly to be feared,  seated upon his throne—the Lord. It is he who created her;  he saw her and took her measure;  he poured her out upon all his works, upon all the living according to his gift;  he lavished her upon those who love him. The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation,  and gladness and a crown of rejoicing. We may associate wisdom with learning, life experience and age. The writer of Ecclesiasticus describes wisdom as a person who has been created by God, someone who has immeasurable understanding from the beginning, something lavished upon those who love God. Can you recall ways in which you have experienced Wisdom? Perhaps you’ve experienced sudden moments of insight or revelation? Maybe you feel you need an encounter with Wisdom in your life, in a relationship, or in a challenging situation. Picture this person or situation before the Lord now. As you continue to picture this need, imagine the Lord lavishing Wisdom upon you, and upon the situation or on the people you’ve shown to Him. As you listen to the reading again, notice the description of Wisdom. Which image do you most enjoy? ‘The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation,  and gladness and a crown of rejoicing.' End your prayer time today, praising God for his wonderful gift of Wisdom, and the impact it has had on your journey of faith so far. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.