Several years ago, a local parish, noticing that Mass attendance was declining, decided to refurbish their old gym. They reasoned that because fewer attendees meant reduced revenues, another income source was needed. If they fixed up the gym, outsiders would rent it out and thus solve their money problem. Consequently, several hundred thousand dollars were spent on the project. Three years later the entire church property was sold to an investment group who levelled all the buildings and constructed an apartment complex on the property.
Using their own reasoning power, the leaders of the parish came to the conclusion that money was the root problem. Do you think God saw the problem the way they did? I wonder what would have happened had they sought counsel from the One for Whom and on Whom the church was founded? Did they ever take time to seek out God’s solution?
Today Jesus contrasts the thinking of the “wise and the learned” with the wisdom of God (Luke 10:21-24).
“Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.”
The wise and learned think they have the answers. Their answers, as was the case in the faltering parish, come up short. In the long run, their solutions often fail. The Lord of heaven and earth who created all that is and who governs the entire universe does have the answers. Blinded by their own sense of superiority, the prideful don’t bother to seek God’s solutions. On the other hand, the humble have no trouble admitting their limitations and are open to the revelation of God. Sometimes a child sees more clearly than the wise and learned because their minds are not tangled up yet with the values and demands of the world.
In our first reading today (Isaiah 11:1-10) we are reminded of the amazing “toolbox” of gifts God has given us, so that we don’t have to rely on our own wisdom and learning to solve our problems.
“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.”
Our catechism teaches us about these same seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that were given us at baptism. We have been connected directly to the mind of God and provided with gifts that enable us to receive his revelation. Are we in a predicament? He’s given us wisdom. Do we have a decision to make? He’s given us counsel. Aware of our own weakness, do we fear that we cannot handle the challenges of life? He’s given us strength. Because he’s given us these amazing gifts does not mean that we use them. He’s given us “power tools;” why do we stick with the old ones that are outdated and don’t work very well?
The Holy Spirit rests upon Jesus and upon all those who accept the invitation to follow him. God did not leave us to figure things out ourselves. Each of our churches has Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament. How is it that we seldom, if ever, bother to consult him or seek his help? He sits alone in our churches, while busy-minded people sit in committee rooms trying to solve problems that are bigger than they handle. Why is it that we so quickly think that money, rather than the Holy Spirit, is the answer to our parish problems?
Jesus is sitting next to us right now. He has the exact answer we are looking for. In fact, he IS the exact answer we are looking for.
Advent is a four-week wake-up call for each of us. It is time to repent from doing things our way and start doing things God’s way.
