The Spirit of Wisdom
The Spirit of Wisdom
Oct. 13: Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Satoru Iwata was the CEO of Nintendo from 2002 until 2015. During that time, Nintendo produced what was then the biggest selling video game console ever, the Wii. Later in his tenure, they released the Wii U, one of the biggest disasters in the history if video games. Nintendo posted a loss for the first time in 30 years, and investors wondered if the century-old company1 would remain in business.
What did Iwata do? Cut his salary in half, so he wouldn’t have to fire any of his employees. He took the blame entirely on himself, and promised not to accept a raise until the company turned around. He worked on the development of the Switch until his death in 2015. Although he didn’t live to see its release, his pet project broke sales records once again, and Nintendo is once again the most valuable company in Japan.
Being a rich and powerful man isn’t bad. How you treat those who depend on you (employees, customers, and yes, investors) is what truly matters.
Reading I
Wis 7:7-11
I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
and countless riches at her hands.
Wisdom helps us see things clearly to discern what is most important. Gold and silver are mediums of trade, with nothing of value in and of themselves.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
With wisdom we can see not only the joys of our life, but also the purpose of the sorrows. God works in our lives, and true wisdom allows us to see Him.
Reading II
Heb 4:12-13
Brothers and sisters: Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
It took some digging to figure out the difference between “soul and spirit.” You may know that the ancient Hebrew word we usually translate as “spirit” is also “breath.”2 So what’s being said here is that God can discern your soul (mind, personality, thoughts, the parts that make you a unique individual) from the part of you that’s living, in process and in time.
God, in His wisdom, knows when you’re “in a mood” and when you’re actually, genuinely choosing to commit sin. Same goes for discerning “reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Letting your mind wander to dark places on occasion is not the same as plotting how to murder someone and get away with it.
Much of the time, we can’t even distinguish between a sinful habit like sloth and simply being tired from overwork. But God knows. God the father can see even when we’re lying to ourselves to excuse our behavior.
Alleluia
Mt 5:3
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Matthew’s recording of the Beatitudes is slightly different than Luke’s, in that he wants to make sure that even the wealthy understand they can participate in God’s Kingdom.
Gospel
Mk 10:17-27
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."
A semi-truck can cost as much as a small house in some parts of the country. Between farming equipment and acreage, many farmers are millionaires on paper. Even people who own large stakes in successful companies can’t actually collect the cash their stock is “worth,” because the very act of selling shares devalues them.
The point is, just because someone is “rich,” doesn’t mean they’re doing something wrong. They may be utilizing their resources to provide goods and services for others.
It’s only a problem when we put our possessions ahead of God. Anyone can do that, rich or poor, even if they own only one thing in the whole world.
Jesus didn’t tell the rich young man to sell everything just because he was rich; it was because the young man valued his possessions too much.
There is a happy ending, though, according to tradition.
Mark’s is the most laconic Gospel, by far the shortest. And yet, when he tells the story of the Rich Young Man, Mark adds a detail missing from Matthew and Luke—
Jesus, looking at him, loved him.
That’s a weird thing to add, right? But also, how would Mark know what Jesus was feeling at that moment… unless Mark was the one Jesus was looking at!
Mark’s family home was used as a meeting place for early Christians,3 so it was presumably fairly large. Some even think this is where the Last Supper took place.
So, Mark went away sad, because he had “many possessions.” And yet, moments later, Jesus tells the Apostles that “anything is possible with God.”
Did the Rich Young Man have a change of heart? Did he sell all his possessions, and in doing so, guide his camel through the eye of a needle? Did he use his wealthy and family property to support the first Christians, even Christ Himself, by providing the table for the first Eucharist?
It’s possible.
Fun fact: Nintendo started out as a playing card company.
This is why Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit onto his apostles in John 20:22.