Foolish by Nature

Friday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

Foolish by nature were all who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing the one who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan… (Wisdom 12:1)

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. (Psalms 19:2)

“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.”(Luke 17:33)

Piety

Lord, too often I am foolish in the places where I give praise and credit, focusing my accolades on Your messengers and servants rather than on You, the artisan of all that is good and pleasing.

Study

It’s getting to be the time of year that we look for and celebrate perfection. We look for the perfect wine to go with the perfect turkey and the perfect pumpkin pie. And then it’s on to the perfect gifts for our friends and loved ones. And, often, after exhaustive Internet or magazine research or consultation with aficionados, we find what passes for perfection. We are proud of ourselves and namedrop like crazy that funky little up-and-coming winery or the homegrown business that makes all its jewelry out of recycled plastic. We talk incessantly of the genius or expertise or creativity we found.

Or maybe we find ourselves talking incessantly of the cleverness of the writing on a TV show or movie we recently discovered, or of how the author of a particular blog post, book, or song so exactly captured our emotion. Genius, sheer genius, we proclaim.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Word of mouth and referrals and reviews build business. But we err when we focus too much on those whose work in which we delight (and our skill and ingenuity in finding them)… rather than in the One who endowed them with talent and skill. The author of the Book of Wisdom in today’s first reading warns the Jewish community at Alexandria of the dangers of idolatry, even in its more innocuous forms. The examples he warns of include philosophers who focused on the elements of the world rather than the One who created it.

May we resolve not to let our admiration of the gifts of others get in the way of our adoration of the ultimate artisan.

Action

Write a fan letter to God. Share it with your prayer group or another friend.