11 July 2022 – Saint Benedict, Abbot, Co-Patron of Europe
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,
guarding the paths of justice
and preserving the way of his faithful ones.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
From Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13, NRSV
Today’s Old Testament reading comes from the Book of Proverbs (or Book of Solomon). The word proverb in English leads us to think of short, pithy sayings such as “actions speak louder than words.” The writing in the Book of Proverbs has a much wider meaning. As part of the so called “wisdom literature” of the Bible, it raises basic questions about the values by which we should live and about the morality of our behaviour. Today’s reading encourages us to think about the value of God given wisdom. He tells us that those who would be upright and just are guided by God’s wisdom. Today, church honours St. Benedict, a man for whom God’s wisdom was a guiding principle and who is regarded as the founder of western monasticism.
- Why does Solomon emphasise the importance of wisdom ?
- What gets in the way of our acting with justice – how can we address this?
Think about a deed that you need to perform today and pray for the guidance of God’s wisdom in how you go about this. You may also like to research the life of St. Benedict of Nursia.
