2 January 2022

Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me,
and for all the ages I shall not cease to be.
In the holy tent I ministered before him,
and so I was established in Zion.
Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting-place,
and in Jerusalem was my domain.

From Ecclesiasticus 24:1-2,8-12, NRSV

In today’s first reading, we hear part of a poem in which the author praises the glories of Jerusalem as the place where God’s Wisdom was rooted. It was in Jerusalem that God’s Wisdom, as expressed in the Jewish Law, showed the people how to live as God desired. For the author, Jerusalem was the symbol and fulfilment of all of the wonders of God’s creation. For Christians, it is in the person of Jesus Christ that we see God’s Wisdom fulfilled. So this poem also allows us to celebrate God’s Wisdom becoming flesh in Jesus as the climax of God’s creation.

• • Why do you think that the poet writes about Wisdom as if she is a person?
  • Where is God’s wisdom experienced and seen in our world today?

As we continue this season of Christmastide, you may like to spend some time with a Nativity Scene, reflecting on the coming of God into our world as a human being.