Where do we find true wisdom? We need guidance to make wise decisions. Often we have an idea of where we want to go, but we are not too sure how to get there. Thankfully, the People of God, the Church, is our greatest and most reliable source of spiritual wisdom for our life journey. Wisdom is one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom gives us the grace to see ourselves, and the world and everything in it, as God sees them.

Where do we find true wisdom? The Scriptures and teachings of the Church are sources of Wisdom. The Wisdom writings in the Old Testament include the Books of Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon) Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) King Solomon, the son of King David, is recognized as one of the greatest wisdom figures in the Old Testament.

Where do we find true wisdom? King Solomon had a vivid dream. In the dream God told Solomon that he was eminently pleased with him, and he said to Solomon, ‘Ask what I should give you’ (1 Kings 3:5). King Solomon asked God for: an understanding mind; a listening heart; the ability to discern between good and evil. King Solomon asked for these qualities so that he could govern God’s people.

The greatest of gifts In Sacred Scripture, people of wisdom are identified as the people who obey the Commandments of the Covenant in all aspects of their day-to-day life. The Book of Deuteronomy was written as an interpretation of the Law of the Covenant. It applied the Law to new situations in order to guide God’s people in living the Covenant. When you respond to and cooperate with the Spirit of Wisdom, you can also be a source of wisdom for other people.

The greatest of gifts THE HOLINESS CODE (Leviticus 17:1—26:46) is one of the central codes, or systems of laws, in the Torah. The Holiness Code prescribes laws that govern worship, justice, charity and chastity. The laws of worship include precise prescriptions for celebrating: Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread; Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks; New Year’s Day, or Rosh Hashanah; the Day of Atonement; the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles; the Jubilee Year.

The greatest of gifts Matthew, who wrote his account of the Gospel primarily for Jews who had become believers in Jesus, portrays Jesus as the ‘New Moses’ and giver of the ‘New Law’. For Jesus’ disciples and many others who witnessed him teaching, Jesus taught and spoke with authority, the authority of God. Jesus offered his listeners hope and a new direction for their lives.

The Church, Mother and teacher PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH Positive laws to guide the faithful in living in love of God and neighbor Participate in Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation. Confess your sins at least once a year. Receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion at least during the Easter Season. Fast and abstain on the required days. Provide for the material needs of the Church according to your ability.

The Church, Mother and teacher The sanctifying office of the Church supports and guides us in living as people of prayer. Bishops and priests sanctify the Church by administering the Sacraments, by proclaiming and preaching the Word of God, and by prayer and work. The Eucharist is the center of the life of the Church. Receiving the Body of Christ gives us the graces to live as faithful disciples of Jesus.

The Church, Mother and teacher The Church is a people of prayer. The Christian life is a life of prayer. The liturgical year gives a rhythm of prayer to the year and to each day of the year. Each week is centered in Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the day of the Resurrection. The seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter remember and celebrate the ‘whole mystery of Christ from his Incarnation and Nativity through his Ascension, to Pentecost and to the expectation of the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord’ (CCC, no. 1194).

Our search for Wisdom Finding Wisdom is an encounter between our desire for Wisdom and God’s desire that we lead good and holy lives. Our desire for Wisdom can be seen in the lengths we go to seek wisdom: Learning and listening Seeking and questioning Praying and practicing None of us becomes wise overnight. We grow into wisdom little by little.

Our search for Wisdom Praying regularly is vital to growing in wisdom. The Christian family is the first place for learning and developing the habit of prayer. Prayer is speaking ‘heart to heart’ with God. It is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. We can pray anywhere and at any time.

The story of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Edith Stein was born into a Jewish family in Breslau in the German Empire in October Edith felt a genuine sense of wonder and awe about all of God’s creation. The more she journeyed in search of wisdom, the greater her sense that there might be more to understanding our world than what we can learn in school or from ordinary experience. Edith read St. Teresa of Avila’s autobiography, and sensed it pointing her to answers about our world that she had been seeking for a long time. She became a Catholic within a year and left her university to forge a new path. She joined the Carmelite order in 1933 and took the name of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

The story of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross On July 26, 1942 Teresa Benedicta was arrested by the Nazis and taken to Auschwitz because of her Jewish heritage. She died there in the gas chamber on August 9, 1942, at the age of 50. Saint Pope John Paul II canonized her a saint in St. Teresa Benedicta courageously pursued wisdom until she found the answers to the great questions in life. She followed the ‘way’ of Jesus Christ.