Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of Hebrew Bible
Eucharistic Readings from the Australian Prayer Book.
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31... Trinity, Year C...
(For JN 16: 12-15 scroll on site)
NOTES: 1]Always read
the Hebrew Bible in the light
of our understanding of God revealed in Jesus.2] The Proverbs of Solomon is a
collection of `several centuries of thought on the part of the sages'
(NJB, p.965) in poetry form. Though some sayings may be by Solomon,
many are by others,
not all of them Hebrews. Some reflect memories from Mesopotamian &
Egyptian
days. 3] Proverbs is part of what is
known as 'Wisdom' literature. Our passage is from the prologue (Chs.
1-9). Wisdom herself, Sophia in Greek, is speaking. Many see
Sophia as a feminine persona of God.. WARMING UP: Have 'wise
sayings' played much part in our 'getting of wisdom'?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
1-4 How aware are we of Wisdom
calling to us? What disservice are we doing ourselves
if we don't pay heed? Is Wisdom really as available to us as, 'on the
heights, beside the way, .....? How much does She really attract our
attention? What's the relationship between
knowledge, Wisdom, & understanding? If we can't tell, are we in
trouble? Who decides what's wise & what's not? If Wisdom is a
persona of God, do we need to pay more attention to tuning into God's
presence in all that's going on, here, there, everywhere? Does
recognizing God as Wisdom as well as all the other 'things' God is,
expand our understanding of, & our relationship with God at all?
From a Christian point of view, isn't all Wisdom to be found in Jesus
through the Holy Spirit anyway, so why the fuss about Wisdom?
What about all the 'unwisdom'
that seems to pass as religion in some quarters, Christian & other?
If
Wisdom is a persona of God with a 'feminine slant', might the
proverbial 'woman's intuition' take on a whole new meaning / dimension?
22-31 If Wisdom pre-dates
even creation, is this an argument that any / all human wisdom must
derive from Divine Wisdom? Is that where a lot of human things go
wrong? If so, how can we better 'tap in' to the Divine Wisdom, Sophia?
Is via the Spirit of Jesus the most direct route?
Does the poetry of the Sage add any
dimension to the way we consider Wisdom that prose might not be able to
do? Is the ability to use our imagination, & appreciate poetry,
&
what it can help us recognize, itself a gift of Wisdom? Do we value
what we observe & enjoy in 'the book of Creation' as much as what
we gain from head-centred learning?
Do
we rejoice in, delight in the Creation as much as Wisdom does here? Do
we, like Wisdom, actually delight
in the human race, or doesn't that normally occur to us? Is what the
human race all too often does to itself just too off-putting to delight
in? With a bit more Wisdom, could we turn that around? Do we need
Wisdom to enter more deeply into what it means to be fully human, as
against being an observer of humanity? How much does 'heart language'
come into this equation, as distinct from 'head language'? Does Jesus
exemplify Wisdom as much as / less than he exemplifies every other
aspect of God's Being, God's I AM?
