Whoever fears the Lord will do this, and whoever holds to the law will obtain wisdom. She will come to meet him like a mother, and like a young bride she will welcome him. She will feed him with the bread of learning, and give him the water of wisdom to drink. He will lean on her and not fall, and he will rely on her and not be put to shame. She will exalt him above his neighbours, and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly. He will find gladness and a crown of rejoicing, and will inherit an everlasting name. The foolish will not obtain her, and sinners will not see her. She is far from arrogance, and liars will never think of her. Praise is unseemly on the lips of a sinner, for it has not been sent from the Lord. For in wisdom must praise be uttered, and the Lord will make it prosper.
Do not say, ‘It was the Lord’s doing that I fell away’; for he does not do what he hates. Do not say, ‘It was he who led me astray’; for he has no need of the sinful. The Lord hates all abominations; such things are not loved by those who fear him. It was he who created humankind in the beginning, and he left them in the power of their own free choice. If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. He has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose. Before each person are life and death, and whichever one chooses will be given. For great is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power and sees everything; his eyes are on those who fear him, and he knows every human action. He has not commanded anyone to be wicked, and he has not given anyone permission to sin.
Commentary
Your will be done. – There is no one who can obstruct or frustrate the fulfilment of God’s will. Especially as it is written that The Lord accomplished in heaven and on earth all the things that he wills. But we make this prayer in order to unite our free will, by his grace, with his will also, so that he who lives, lives no longer to himself, but that God's free will may be fulfilled in all things. And to that will indeed St Paul testifies when he says: God’s will is your sanctification, that you distance yourselves from sensual desire. And elsewhere the Lord himself says: This is the will of my Father who sent me – that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life. Hence it is that we devoutly make this prayer, not for the Lord's advantage but for our own. When, therefore, we say Your will be done we need to think about the faith and the charity which is ours, in speaking the words: for no one who hesitates about the Father’s will is praying aright. Whence our great faith, great devotion, and our feeling of entire security, which come from knowing about his never ending kindness, his wishing no evil. As St Paul says: His will is that all should be saved and come to recognise the truth. And so no one could have said those things with all his heart unless he believed for sure that all things visible and invisible, whether for our temporal prosperity or otherwise, are ordained by God for our profit and advantage. For one must believe with unquestioning faith that he is more shrewd a judge and caring a provider than we ourselves ever could be, ceaselessly watching for what can work our salvation. For his will is the salvation of all. This indeed was known to the one and only Son of God, teacher of the truth, who said: Father, that this chalice might pass from me, but – but not my will but yours be done. And, in another passage: I have not come to do my will, but the will of him that sent me, the Father. For the humanity of God-made-man took on more of the Father than of himself, so as to show us all how much trust and what kind of trust we should place in his will. No one need be in doubt, according to what St John writes: May he who does God’s will live for all eternity. On this thought let our minds expand and our hearts enlarge, as we realise what we are praying; for whatever the heavenly teacher has taught by word or example, it is the will of the Father that it should all be accomplished. It is for this purpose that those things are written or done, that we work out our salvation faithfully through our deeds. So let each of us look to what he is about, what he intends, what he encompasses in his heart. But if he should see his will to differ in aught from God’s will, let him correct his error, lest what he pray with his words he frustrate with his outward behaviour. (St. Paschasius Radbertus)
Musical Selection(Kathleen Deignan)
O come to us, Sophia,
Wisdom of the depths of God.
We move into the darkness of winter
Beholding the vault of the velvet night,
Gaze at the stars, wait for the moon
To reveal the face of Sophia.
We wait in the barren forest
Where birdsong is hushed the creatures all stilled,
Wrapped in the silence, holding our breath
To attend the voice of Sophia.
We prepare the space for the new life
In the womb of the soul the depths of the heart,
Conceived in desire, nurtured in hope
We await the birth of Sophia.
We become the midwives of wisdom
Conspiring long to bring her forth;
In tears do we labor, in joy do we bear
And give praise for the gift of Sophia.
We rise in the dawning of Springtime
Beholding the dome of the radiant light
Welcome the rains, rejoice in the life
That reveals the face of Sophia.
We’re drawn to the blossoming garden
Where birdsong is sung, the Creatures rejoice.
Wrapped in the music, waking our hearts,
We attend the voice of Sophia.
We become the husbands of Wisdom
Fostering every sprout and seed
Pruning desire, nurturing hope
We sustain the growth of Sophia.
We prepare for the harvest of Wisdom
At green summer’s close and deep in the fall
Gleaning the vision, gathering the dream,
We shall reap the fruits of Sophia.
We learn the way of the wise ones
By walking the path of compassion and trust.
With prophets and sages and mystics and Christ
We become the soul of Sophia.
Collect
Eternal Father, turn our hearts back to you, that we may commit our lives to your praise and service, seeking always the one thing necessary and providing for the needs of others. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.