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From: Wisdom 7:22b-8:1

Wisdom, a Reflection of Eternal Light

[22b] For in her there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle,
mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible,
[23] beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, oversee-
ing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent and pure and most
subtle. [24] For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pure-
ness she pervades and penetrates all things. [25] For she is a breath of the po-
wer of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing
defiled gains entrance into her. [26] For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spot-
less mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. [27] Though
she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews
all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends
of God, and prophets;

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Commentary:

7:22-8:1. Somehow, mysteriously, Wisdom is the same thing as the Spirit of
God who gives life to and enlightens all other beings and who transcends them.
In vv. 22-24 there are so many terms from the language of Greek philosophy (es-
pecially Plato and the Stoics) that the author must mean them to be recognized
as such. However, even though he borrows this terminology, he clearly maintains
his independence; nothing he says undermines his belief in there being only one
God. He does attribute to divine Wisdom properties that Greek philosophy con-
ferred on the “soul of the cosmos”, the nous and the logos, but he clearly does
not mean to associate himself with that sort of thinking; he is simply using these
terms to emphasize the excellence of divine Wisdom.

The sacred writers of the New Testament (St John and St Paul, particularly)
have things to say somewhat along the lines of these verses when dealing with
the mysteries of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 1:5, 9; 15:26; Col 1:5-6;
Heb 1:3; etc.). Sacred texts like these were among the first to be used when,
later on, Christian theology about the incarnate Word and the Holy Spirit began
to take shape: we can see this from the writings of the Fathers. For example, v.
26 is used in a work attributed to St Augustine dealing with the unity of Father
and Son: “A ‘reflection’, because the pure light of the Father is in the Son; ‘a
clear mirror’, for the Father can be seen in the Son” (”Solutiones diversarum
quaestionum”, 18).

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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: Luke 17:20-25

The Coming of the Kingdom of God

[20] Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, He
(Jesus) answered them, “The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be
observed; [21] nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the King-
dom of God is in the midst of you.”

The Day of the Son of Man

[22] And He said to His disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to
see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. [23] And they will
say to you, ‘Lo, there!’ or ‘Lo, here!’ Do not go, do not follow them. [24] For as the
lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son
of Man be in His day. [25] But first He must suffer many things and be rejected
by this generation.”

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Commentary:

20-21. Like many Jews of their time, the Pharisees imagined the establishment
of the Kingdom of God in terms of external, political authority; whereas Jesus tea-
ches that it is something eminently spiritual, supernatural, which has been happe-
ning since Jesus’ coming, although its climax will be after His Second Coming or
Parousia at the end of the world; its effect is to be seen, above all, in men’s
hearts, although it is also something visible and external, just as the Church has
a visible dimension.

The presence of the Kingdom of God in each soul is something one perceives
through the affections and inspirations communicated by the Holy Spirit. St.
Therese of Lisieux says this about her own experience: “The Doctor of doctors
teaches us without the sound of words. I have never heard Him speak, and yet
I know He is within my soul. Every moment He is guiding and inspiring me, and,
just at the moment I need them, ‘lights’ till then unseen are granted me. Most of-
ten it is not at prayer that they come but while I go about my daily duties” (”The
Story of a Soul”, Chapter 8).

22. After the Apostles receive the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost they will
devote their whole lives to preaching boldly the message of Jesus Christ, and
winning all people over to the Lord. This will lead them to experience many
severe contradictions; they will suffer so much that they will yearn to see even
“one of the days of the Son of Man”, that is, one of the days of the victory of Je-
sus Christ. But this day will not arrive until the Lord’s Second Coming.

23-36. These words of our Lord are a prophecy about the last coming of the Son
of Man. We should remember that prophecy often involves events on different le-
vels, many symbols, a terminology of its own; the “chiaroscuro” which they cre-
ate gives us insight into future events, but the concrete details only become clear
when the events actually occur. Our Lord’s last coming will be something sudden
and unexpected; it will catch many people unprepared. Jesus illustrates this by
giving examples from sacred history: as in the time of Noah (cf. Genesis 6:9-19:
7) and that of Lot (cf. Genesis 18:16-19:27) divine judgment will be visited on
men without warning.

However, it is useful to recall here that everyone will find himself before the divine
Judge immediately when he dies, at the Particular Judgment. Thus Jesus’ tea-
ching has also a present urgency about it: here and now a disciple should scru-
tinize his own conduct, for the Lord can call him when he least expects.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.