From: Wisdom 7:7-11
Solomon opts for wisdom
[7] Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;
I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
[8] I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.
[9] Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.
[10] I loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than light,
because her radiance never ceases.
[11] All good things came to me along with her,
and in her hands uncounted wealth.
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Commentary:
7:7-21. In Old Testament tradition, Solomon was seen as the epitome of the
wise man; but he was not born wise. As he says, he prayed and pleaded for it
(v. 7; cf. later chap. 8 and also 1 Kings 3:5ff; 5:9ff). And he put wisdom first —
before sceptres and thrones, precious stones, gold and silver, health and beauty;
even before the light of the sun (vv. 8-10). Because it was wisdom that he asked
for and not other things, God added them on top of his gift of wisdom (v. 11 ).
These verses and v. 14 will remind Christian readers of what our Lord says in the
sermon on the mount when he exhorts us to seek first the Kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and the rest will be added on (cf. Mt 6:25-33).
A familiar theme in wisdom writings is the superiority of spiritual things over ma-
terial things. In this passage ten comparisons make just that point: wisdom is
better than everything, even bodily health (cf. Sir 30:14-16). There is a strict pa-
rallelism in the passage, sometimes alternating “she” (wisdom) with the other
terms of comparison (”wealth”, “priceless gem”, “all gold” and “silver”). It is very
likely that there is an echo here of the views of the Stoics, who said that happi-
ness was the only virtue, above everything else, so therefore the wise man
should he ‘’imperturbable” (stoical), indifferent towards everything, good or evil.
But what this passage really has to do with is the notion, seen in earlier Jewish
wisdom writing, that neither gold nor any thing else for that matter can compare
with wisdom (cf. Job 28:15-19; Prov 3:14; 4-7); or that she is sweeter than honey,
more precious than any pearl or gem (cf. Ps 19:10; 119:72, 127; Prov 3:14-15;
8:11, 19; 16:16).
Having wisdom means, in the first place, letting oneself be guided by God and
being conscious that he holds man’s life in his hands. But wisdom also includes
understanding the world around us — the sort of “encyclopedic wisdom” held in
such high esteem in the ancient world and in the Bible (cf. 1 Kings 5:13-14). This
is because the visible world constitutes an harmonious whole, devised by divine
Wisdom, which provides man with instruction in everything from practical skills to
cosmology and the “elements”, “stoicheia” (v. 17), a term taken from Greek phi-
losophy and which was in common use in educated circles in the Hellenic world.
Still, “what is distinctive in the biblical text is the conviction that there is a pro-
found and indissoluble unity between the knowledge of reason and the knowledge
of faith. The world and all that happens within it, including history and the fate of
peoples, are realities to he observed, analyzed and assessed with all the resour-
ces of reason, but without faith ever being foreign to the process. Faith intervenes
not to abolish reason’s autonomy nor to reduce its scope for action, but solely to
bring the human being to understand that in these events it is the God of Israel
who acts” (Bl. John Paul II, “Fides et ratio”, 16).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Hebrews 4:12-13
Through Faith We Can Attain God’s “Rest” (Continuation)
[12] For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning
the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [13] And before him no creature is hid-
den, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
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Commentary:
12-13. The “word of God”, which the text speaks about, probably refers to Reve-
lation taken as a whole, particularly Sacred Scripture; but it may also refer to
the “Logos” or Word, the second person of the Holy Trinity. The “word” of God is
presented as an expression of God’s power: it is that active word (Genesis 1:3ff;
Psalm 33:9) which creates everything out of nothing. In the Wisdom books we
find this word personified (Sirach 42:15; 43:26; Wisdom 9:1; 18:15; Psalm 148:
1-5). But this living and active word of God is also to be seen in the New Testa-
ment(Galatians 3:8, 22) and in its full and perfect form in Christ himself (John 1:
1; Revelation 9:13).
God’s word is also very much at work in Revelation: “In the sacred books the
Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks to them.
And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it serves the Church
as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith,
food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life” (Vatican II, “Dei
Verbum”, 21).
God’s word is consoling and life-giving, but it also inspires fear in those who try
to ignore it. “The word of his truth is hotter and brighter than the sun, and pierces
the very depths of hearts and minds” (St Justin, “Dialogue with Trypho”, 121, 2).
The depths of a person’s heart, his deepest thoughts, attitudes and intentions, lie
open to God’s all-seeing eye. “What a person does or thinks is expressed in his
actions, but one can never be sure of what motivates his actions. That, however,
is never hidden from God” (St Thomas, “Commentary on Heb.” 4, 2).
The last judgment, which is a hidden backdrop to these words of the sacred text,
calls us to present conversion. “The Apostle of God wrote this not only for his
[immediate] readers but also for us. It behooves us therefore always to keep that
divine judgment before our minds, and to be full of fear and trembling and to keep
God’s commandments faithfully and be ever hopeful of that rest promised us which
we shall attain in Christ” (Theodoret of Cyrus, “Interpretatio Ep. ad Haebreos, ad
loc.”).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Mark 10:17-30
The Rich Young Man
[17] And as He (Jesus) was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt
before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
[18] And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God
alone. [19] You know the commandments: ‘Do not kill, Do not commit adultery,
Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and
mother.’” [20] And he said to Him, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my
youth.” [21] And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, “You lack
one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have trea-
sure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.” [22] At that saying his countenance fell,
and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
Poverty and Renunciation
[23] And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for
those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God!” [24] And the disciples were
amazed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is for
those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God!” [25] It is easier for a ca-
mel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom
of God.” [26] And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who
can be saved?” [27] Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible,
but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
[28] Peter began to say to Him (Jesus), “Lo, we have left everything and followed
You.” [29] Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house
or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for
the Gospel, [30] who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and
brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and
in the age to come eternal life.
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Commentary:
17-18. As Matthew 19:16 makes clear, the young man approaches Jesus as an
acknowledged teacher of the spiritual life, in the hope that He will guide him to-
wards eternal life. It is not that Christ rejects the praise He is offered: He wants
to show the depth of the young man’s words: He is good, not because He is a
good man but because He is God, who is Goodness Itself. So, the young man
has spoken the truth, but he has not gone far enough. Hence the enigmatic na-
ture of Jesus’ reply and its profundity. The young man’s approach is upright but
too human; Jesus tries to get him to see things from an entirely supernatural
point of view. If this man is to really attain eternal life he must see in Christ not
just a good master but the divine Savior, the only Master, the only one who, be-
cause He is God, is Goodness Itself. Cf. note on Mt. 19:16-22. 19. Our Lord
has not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The command-
ments are the very core of the Law and keeping them is necessary for attaining
eternal life. Christ brings these commandments to fulfillment in a double sense.
First, because He helps us discover their full implications for our lives. The light
of Revelation makes it easy for us to grasp the correct meaning of the precepts
of the Decalogue—something that human reason, on its own, can only achieve
with difficulty. Second, His grace gives us strength to counter our evil inclina-
tions, which stem from Original Sin. The commandments, therefore, still apply
in the Christian life: they are like signposts indicating the way that leads to
Heaven.
21-22. Our Lord knows that this young man has a generous heart. This is why
He treats him so affectionately and invites him to greater intimacy with God. But
He explains that this means renunciation—leaving his wealth behind so as to give
his heart whole and entire to Jesus. God calls everyone to holiness, but holiness
is reached by many different routes. It is up to every individual to take the neces-
sary steps to discover which route God wants him to follow. The Lord sows the
seed of vocation in everyone’s soul, to show him the way to go to reach the goal
of holiness, which is common to all.
In other words, if a person does not put obstacles in the way, if he responds ge-
nerously to God, he feels a desire to be better, to give himself more generously.
As fruit of this desire he seeks to know God’s will; he prays to God to help him,
and asks people to advise him. In responding to this sincere search, God uses
a great variety of instruments. Later, when a person thinks he sees the way God
wants him to follow, he may still not take the decision to go that way: he is afraid
of the renunciation it involves: at this point he should pray and deny himself if the
light—God’s invitation—is to win out against human calculation. For, although God
is calling, man is always free, and therefore, he can respond generously or be a
coward, like the young man we are told about in this passage. Failure to respond
generously to one’s vocation always produces sadness.
21. “In its precise eloquence”, Bl. John Paul II points out, commenting on this
passage, “this deeply penetrating event expresses a great lesson in a few words:
it touches upon substantial problems and basic questions that have in no way
lost their relevance. Everywhere young people are asking important questions —
questions on the meaning of life, on the right way to live, on the scale of values:
‘What must I do...?’ ‘What must I do to share in everlasting life?’...To each of you
I say therefore: heed the call of Christ when you hear him saying to you: ‘Follow
Me!’ Walk in My path! Stand by My side! Remain in My love! There is a choice
to be made: a choice for Christ and His way of life, and His commandment of
love.
“The message of love that Christ brought is always important, always relevant. It
is not difficult to see how today’s world, despite its beauty and grandeur, despite
the conquests of science and technology, despite the refined and abundant ma-
terial goods that it offers, is yearning for more truth, for more love, for more joy.
And all of this is found in Christ and in His way of life.... Faced with problems and
disappointments, many people will try to escape from their responsibility: escape
in selfishness, escape in sexual pleasure, escape in drugs, escape in violence,
escape in indifference and cynical attitudes. But today, I propose to you the op-
tion of love, which is the opposite of escape. If you really accept that love from
Christ, it will lead you to God. Perhaps in the priesthood or religious life; perhaps
in some special service to your brothers and sisters: especially to the needy, the
poor, the lonely, the abandoned, those whose rights have been trampled upon, or
those whose basic needs have not been provided for. Whatever you make of your
life, let it be something that reflects the love of Christ” (”Homily on Boston Com-
mon”).
22. “The sadness of the young man makes us reflect. We could be tempted to
think that many possessions, many of the goods of this world, can bring happi-
ness. We see instead in the case of the young man in the Gospel that his many
possessions had become an obstacle to accepting the call of Jesus to follow
Him. He was not ready to say “yes” to Jesus and “no” to self, to say “yes” to
love and “no” to escape. Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I
did not clearly tell you so. For it was Jesus—Jesus Himself—who said: ‘You are
My friends if you do what I command you’ (John 15:14). Love demands effort and
a personal commitment to the will of God. It means discipline and sacrifice, but
it also means joy and human fulfillment.
“Dear young people: do not be afraid of honest effort and work; do not be afraid
of the truth. With Christ’s help, and through prayer, you can answer His call, re-
sisting temptations and fads, and every form of mass manipulation. Open your
hearts to the Christ of the Gospels—to His love and His truth and His joy. Do not
go away sad!...
“Follow Christ! You who are single or who are preparing for marriage. Follow
Christ! You who are young or old. Follow Christ! You who are sick or aging; who
are suffering or in pain. You who feel the need for healing, the need for love, the
need for a friend—follow Christ!
“To all of you I extend—in the name of Christ—the call, the invitation, the plea:
‘Come and follow Me’” (Bl. John Paul II, “Homily on Boston Common”).
23-27. The reaction of the rich young man gives our Lord another opportunity to
say something about the way to use material things. In themselves they are good:
they are resources God has made available to people for their development in so-
ciety. But excessive attachment to things is what makes them an occasion of sin.
The sin lies in “trusting” in them, as if they solve all life’s problems, and turning
one’s back on God. St. Paul calls covetousness idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Christ
excludes from the Kingdom of God anyone who becomes so attached to riches
that his life is centered around them. Or, more accurately, that person excludes
himself.
Possessions can seduce both those who already have them and those who are
bent on acquiring them. Therefore, there are—paradoxically—poor people who are
really rich, and rich people who are really poor. Since absolutely everyone has
an inclination to be attached to material things, the disciples see salvation as an
impossible goal: “Then who can be saved?” No one, if we rely on human re-
sources. But God’s grace makes everything possible. Cf. note on Matthew 6:11.
Also, not putting our trust in riches means that everyone who does have wealth
should use it to help the needy. This “demands great generosity, much sacrifice
and unceasing effort on the part of the rich man. Let each one examine his con-
science, a conscience that conveys a new message for our times. Is he prepared
to support out of his own pocket works and undertakings organized in favor of the
most destitute? Is he ready to pay higher taxes so that the public authorities can
intensify their efforts in favor of development?” (Paul VI, “Populorum Progressio”,
47).
28-30. Jesus Christ requires every Christian to practise the virtue of poverty: He
also requires us to practise real and effective austerity in the possession and use
of material things. But of those who have received a specific call to apostolate—as
in the case, here, of the Twelve—He requires absolute detachment from property,
time, family, etc. so that they can be fully available, imitating Jesus Himself who,
despite being Lord of the universe, became so poor that He had nowhere to lay
His head (cf. Matthew 8:20). Giving up all these things for the sake of the King-
dom of Heaven also relieves us of the burden they involve: like a soldier shedding
some encumbrance before going into action, to be able to move with more agility.
This gives one a certain lordship over all things: no longer the slave of things, one
experiences that feeling St. Paul referred to: “As having nothing, and yet posses-
sing everything” (2 Corinthians 6:10). A Christian who sheds his selfishness in
this way has acquired charity and, having charity, he has everything: “All are
yours; you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:22-23).
The reward for investing completely in Christ will be fully obtained in eternal life:
but we will also get it in this life. Jesus says that anyone who generously leaves
behind his possessions will be rewarded a hundred times over in this life.
He adds “with persecutions” (v. 30) because opposition is part of the reward for
giving things up out of love for Jesus Christ: a Christian’s glory lies in becoming
like the Son of God, sharing in His cross so as later to share in His glory: “pro-
vided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him (Romans
8:17); “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’ (2
Timothy 3:12).
29. These words of our Lord particularly apply to those who by divine vocation
embrace celibacy, giving up their right to form a family on earth. By saying “for
My sake and for the Gospel” Jesus indicates that His example and the demands
of His teaching give full meaning to this way of life: “This, then, is the mystery of
the newness of Christ, of all that He is and stands for; it is the sum of the highest
ideals of the Gospel and of the Kingdom; it is a particular manifestation of grace,
which springs from the paschal mystery of the Savior and renders the choice of
celibacy desirable and worthwhile on the part of those called by our Lord Jesus.
Thus, they intend not only to participate in Christ’s priestly office, but also to
share with Him His very condition of living” (Paul VI, “Sacerdotalis Coelibatus”,
23).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
The following is the longer version of the vital prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 after his startling vision as to the future of the Church. This prayer was dedicated for the Feast of St. Michael 1448 years from the date of the election of the first Leo - Pope Saint Leo the Great. Everyone is familiar with the first prayer below which was mandated by His Holiness as part of the Leonine Prayers after Low Mass. After Vatican II, in legion with the devil Giovanni Montini outlawed this necessary prayer and then one wonders how "the smoke of satan" got into the sanctuary? The conciliarists wanted to make sure the words in bold below would never see the light of day again for in it Leo foretold what would happen: The shepherd would be struck, the sheep scattered. Below are both the short and longer versions of this poignant prayer which should never be forgotten.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and do thou, O heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.Look down upon me, O good and gentle Jesus, while before Thy face I humbly kneel, and with burning soul pray and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment; the while I contemplate with great love and tender pity Thy five most precious wounds, pondering over them within me, calling to mind the words which David Thy prophet said of Thee, my good Jesus: "They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My bones."
PRAYERS AFTER 
