Morning Prayer Reflection: From Whom Do We Seek Knowledge?

His care is to seek the LORD, his Maker, to petition the Most High, To open his lips in prayer, to ask pardon for his sins. Then, if it pleases the LORD Almighty, he will be filled with the spirit of understanding; He will pour forth his words of wisdom and in prayer give thanks to the LORD,Who will direct his knowledge and his counsel, as he meditates upon his mysteries. Sirach 39:6-7 (NAB)

"Being smart is not the same as being wise." A friend shared these words of her pastor with me last night as we were talking, and the profundity of the simple statement struck me as so very timely. We can get so busy seeking out knowledge on matters, we sometimes don't stop to think where that "knowledge" is originating. Are we simply seeking to seem smart, or are we really asking to gain wisdom? They are two very different things. Google and Wiki can get us facts, but the veracity of them is not always so reliable. Having worked with college students, I can't even remember the number of times we had to remind them to not just rely on the internet, but to check the source of their information.

As you pray today, consider where you get your information. In this time of political and ideological debate, to whom do we turn for counsel and wisdom? If not God, are we getting the real truth?

Doesn't God give us the same instruction for life? There is a lot of information out there, and some of it seems like it is pretty true. Do we ever stop, though, to consider the source? Do we enter into prayer when it is a matter of justice, faith and morals, to open our mind to the counsel and wisdom of God, to ask for His understanding, which far surpasses our own? In the Gospel today, we hear Jesus proclaiming the Greatest Commandment - Love God with heart, mind and soul. If we consider that love is sacrifice, maybe what he is really asking is to surrender our minds to God, along with our hearts and souls, for God's goodness to fill that instrument as well.

0 comments: