July 30, 2023

Our culture seems more polarized and divided than ever. Into this wounded situation, our Catholic faith has a healing remedy to offer: the gift of wisdom. When the Lord offers to give King Solomon anything the monarch desires, he requests “an understanding heart” (1 Kings 3:9). In his polarized situation, the King doesn’t ask for power to defeat his enemies. He asks for a wise and understanding heart to judge right from wrong. This wisdom is elevated and fulfilled in Jesus who teaches us to bring forth “both the new and the old” (Matthew 13:52).
In our fractured society, we Christians should stop pining for political power to crush our perceived enemies. That often just makes things worse. Rather, it’s much more useful to beg for the grace of true wisdom which transcends both sides of the aisle. This places us in a fresh position from which we can help our culture see what is true and good all across the ideological spectrum. Sometimes we’ll look like liberals (e.g., in our love for the poor and marginalized) and other times like conservatives (e.g., in our sexual ethics and views on religious freedom). Because this wisdom is free from ideological narrowness, it will help to heal these painful fractures. Lord Jesus, this week, pour into us your healing wisdom. — Father John Muir ©LPi