Catholic Ping!
From: Wisdom 11:22-12:2
God, almighty and merciful
[1] For thy immortal spirit is in all things,
[2] Therefore thou dost correct little by little those who trespass,
and dost remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin,
that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in thee, O Lord.
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Commentary:
11:21-12:2. The lessons given here about Gods steadfast love and mercy to-
wards all created things are not anything new, of course (cf. Hos 6:4-6; Jon
3:1-4:11), but maybe there were never quite as forcefully put as here (especially
vv. 23-26), and the style of sapiential argument spells out very well the universal
range of Gods mercy towards sinful man and the love that is at work in creation
and in its conservation. St. Thomas deals with this subject with his typical clarity:
God would never have created something which he would then not love, for it
derives from him and participates in his supreme goodness, even if only to a tiny
degree: God loves all living things. He does not love in the same way as we do,
for our will does not make things good; human love is a movement of the will to-
ward its object [
]; the love of god creates and fills all things with goodness
(Summa theologiae, 1, 20, 2).
Therefore, when God punishes man, as he sometimes does, his intention is
always one of love and mercy. It is this divine purpose that 11:23-26 takes plea-
sure in showing to be all-encompassing: God is all-powerful; nothing, no one,
can resist him; his mercy does not stem from any weakness on his part; it is the
effect of love: he loves the living.
Origen used this passage to draw lessons about Gods all-embracing love:
Because we are his children, the Lord encourages us to develop the same atti-
tude, and teaches us to do good works for all mankind. For that is why He is
called the saviour of all people, especially of those who believe in him (1 Tim
4:10), and his Christ the expiation of ours ins, and the sins of the whole world
(1 Jn 2:2) (Contra Celsum, 4, 28).
St Gregory the Great, in his homilies to the people of Rome, exhorted them to
appreciate Gods unlimited love for sinners: Here we read that he appeals to all
those who are stained with sin, and cries out to all those who have abandoned
him. Let us not spurn the hand of mercy that he holds out to us; let us not fail to
see the great value of the love the Lord has for us. In his kindness he calls out to
those who have lost their way, and he prepares a place for us, for when we return
to his heart of mercy. Let each person consider the debt that weighs him down
and all the while God waits and never loses his patience with us. Let those who
chose not to stay with him return to him; let those who failed to appreciate his love
stand close by his side, so that they may be raised up(Homiliae in Evangelia, 33).
The passage also underlines Gods loving providence towards all created beings.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 301 puts it as follows: With creation, God
does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and
existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and substains them in being,
enables them to act and bring them to their final end. Recognizing this utter
dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy
and confidence.
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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.