St. Mary's Church Elizabeth, IL

6/29

Trust in the Lord....

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones."

                                                                                                                                    Proverb 3:5-8

This is one of the texts of biblical wisdom literature which seems to say all that needs to be said: in a very plain and simple language, a wise ancient author describes the essence of religious faith. The call "to trust in the Lord" is heard many times in the Old Testament and is addressed to those who already know what it is to have faith in God. In Psalm 119:9-11, the entire community is called upon to put trust in God who is "their help and their shield."

Wisdom results from our exposure to reality and it has been born out of practice. The proverbs help us learn from our experiences to grow in wisdom, and wisdom means life (Proverbs 8:36).

Proverbs are found in every culture. For example, a squeaky wheel gets the oil meaning that the person who complains most or causes problems gets attention. They are usually short sayings, common in use, based on everyday human experience and are practical and surprising. Good proverbs show the power of the word. What we need to understand is that the wisdom we need is not gained by simply memorizing words or even putting them into practice in our lives; the wisdom we need comes from God: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7). This wisdom comes from our experience of God. Just as someone does not learn to play an instrument but simply listening to it, so we too do not learn wisdom, coming from proverbs, by hearing or listening to them. Proverbs unveil their content when our relationship with God is sound and when we reflect the content of them in our obedience to them. St. Benedict (480-543) said that the fear of the Lord is the first step of humility; the proverbs teach that God is God and I am not!

As the Church, we are the Mystical Body of Christ with great variety of functions in its members (Ephesians 4:1; 1Corinthians 12) and so, we should not expect to be the same in everything. One thing that unites us is the worship of the living God. Fear of the Lord comes from our realization of how much God loves us and that God is the keeper of my life (Isaiah 49:16). The good and sound relationship with God and his creation is what we learn here on earth because it is what we hope for in eternity. Wisdom is to be sought and cherished.

Fr. Joachim