Ordinary time week 8 Ecc 51,17-27; Mk 11,27-33
Ecclesiasticus speaks of Wisdom, a gift of the Holy Spirit along with knowledge and understanding. We speak about it and it permeates the writings of the Old and New Testaments. The Celts, who had a mystical understanding of the world in which they lived closely with God, can help us appreciate wisdom better. In their relationship with the world, the Celts spoke of thin places where the divine and creation were so close you could encounter God’s presence like touching water. They saw wisdom as an energy permeating everything and, being a gift of God, spoke vividly of God’s presence. Wisdom enables us to make contact with God’s presence, hence the mystical presence that permeates and radiates from everything. Wisdom enables us to recognise the presence of the divine, while knowledge and understanding help us gradually assimilate that presence: an ongoing and rewarding task.
There are people we encounter who speak of God’s presence by who they are rather than by what they say or do. Their presence is a thin place that emanates the divine presence and influences how they speak and how they do things. The parish is full of such people. We celebrate Mary this month. Mary offers a tangible presence (thin place) that embraces, sustains, heals and restores life; that same presence is found in nature and the environment because they both radiate the mystical presence of God.
Creation of the mystical work of God:
Almighty God thank you for revealing yourself through your creation in which we see the glory of your eternal power, wisdom, and goodness. You who make the waves crash against the rocks and, elsewhere, have them gently lap across the sand. Your hand alone can do these things. You amaze us. Thank you for creating beauty in tiny details, as found in a delicate flower with colour, shape, and fragrance. Thank you for creating beauty on a grand scale, as found in the mountains, canyons, expansive sea, sky, and stars. You leave us in awe.
by Fr Thomas O'BRIEN a.a