In the Word today, we heard in Proverbs 9 how Wisdom has set up her 7 pillars. What could that mean and how can we apply it?
Proverbs 8 and 9 describes Wisdom in a personification as a woman, and she is one with blessings and benefits for those who come to her and heed her good advice. It is the Wisdom of God here, known now to us as the Holy Spirit, glorifying Christ Jesus’ work in us. (in connection with John 16) whereas the spirit of the independent selfish world is the woman of opposite attraction.
Proverbs 8 and its lead-in message is God’s calling out to us: “Whoever wants what is simple, clear, loving and all true—turn in here.” That’s God’s appeal. She has hospitality for you. (Recall Wisdom is put in the female here.) However, the worldly rebel spirit would rather appeal to your greedy, lustful, (deadly sins) prideful self—saying to you: ‘don’t trust God, trust yourself first! And what is sin anyway but some fun and freedom?’ In modern music terms, this other woman’s been called “the witchy woman” (Eagles-70’s and 2024 Clutch and Neil Fallon or Cher in Dark Lady 2000’s) that beguiles her victims. A teen tells me that in high school it’s the strong temptation to be the bad girl now, as to buck or defy anyone who’d tell her not to be ‘bad.’ She surmises: ‘They are women in wrathful anger, but dressed up in pretense on the outside, as like in being content, though they’re not.’
Hear God’s Word! Proverbs 9 says a large building or house (like Jerusalem’s Temple*) was set up with seven pillars. In an Old Testament way, this symbolized a life of prayer and liturgy to God from devout children on earth—gathering for God at the set holy place.* It also refers to the seven gifts of the Spirit in Isaiah 11 which Messiah brings, which is wisdom, understanding, right judgment, knowledge, courage, awe and wonder (or fear of the Lord) and reverence (or piety). These gifts from God can build a strong house.
As Catholics in 2024, we can see that prayer (in daily appointments with God) and liturgy (us together in God’s appointed holy place, like at this Mass) can form a strong house. This is a house of faith, a house of believers. You may not see the pillars going around this church (though check the ones at St. Peter’s in Rome)—or we may not have seen pillars going around Resurrection church like the Lincoln Memorial has—but we do have pillars+, and the Church is built to last.
In a New Testament way of seeing Proverbs 9 images, Christ is here with us as our foundation, 7 sacraments are celebrated in Him, and 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit are poured forth to us to live out. +
Thus, we can be God’s children following Lady Wisdom and living in her of being strong in witness for favor to God in this life, rather than favor first to the world. Let’s do the 7 pillars of the Spirit’s gifts.
First pillar—we can be wise and not foolish (as Jesus’ parables do advise us). Recall the great wisdom line of Deuteronomy 30: “I set before you life and goodness, or death and evil. If you obey God, then God will bless you. If however your heart turns away as led away to other ‘gods’ then you will certainly perish. So choose life!”
Second pillar–we can live with understanding, and how so—by helping the parish with her outreach. (For example, we’ll be grateful to volunteers to help our family fest on Sept. 8 out—see the bulletin. Or, in another example, our needy-for-food neighbors were here this past Tuesday, and we had our pantry and volunteers ready for them.)
Third pillar– we can live in right judgment, with being counseled by people of long-standing practices of Catholic faith, or following the Catechism and Bible, or obeying our parents.
Fourth pillar—we can live by knowledge of God, in the revelation that God loves us, suffers or acts in compassion among us, and that God has a known destiny of the kingdom of heaven for faithful ones.
Fifth pillar—we can show some courage, so as not to cooperate in the spirit of sin and rebellion to God, which is so brazenly done today, and we can try to help people out of that sinful trap that they foolishly fall for—by calling them to Christ’ Life. We live an alternative to secular humanism or atheism, and it works, because Jesus is Real and Alive!
Sixth pillar—we can witness that Christ is in us, the Hope of Glory, in showing some awe and wonder for God that is going on in our own being. We can ask the Spirit to make us alive enough in the Spirit to pop the bubble of the world’s pretenses. May we be like a pin of truth that pops the pretend world.
Lastly, of a Seventh Pillar, we can live in holy reverence for God, acting like we are living first for God, not ourselves, and that in such piety we abide in a profound sacredness of life to be with our utmost beliefs (which the ways of the world are greatly rejecting and in fact are promoting the opposite, wanting to shut down the Church and her impact. But the devil, ruler of the worldly, wants to kill, destroy and divide and confuse. John 10:10b. “The gates of hell shall not prevail against her,” says Jesus of His Church, in Matthew 16:18. He has given us 7 pillars of strength. Use them. He has given pillars of help in the apostolic line (see Gal.2:9), let us fully live in the Church Christ established via them. Take not your holy eyes off of Christ the Head.
As the Gospel of John 6 proclaims on this Sunday, we look to Him as the Bread of Life. He feeds us in His House. The Church is a New Bethlehem for all God’s reborn children. Bethlehem means “house of bread” and we are the Church, the “house of Bread” with Christ as the True Bread of Eternal Life. He makes us into His Body of believers, even as we sup of His Body and Blood. Praise to His Name Forever.
In a finishing word, now we realize the fulfillment of Proverbs 9’s line in Scripture: Come, eat of My bread and the wine is mixed (with water) and poured. Maidens have been sent out to invite people in to Lady Wisdom’s banquet. People will forsake the foolish path and come in for true life into her house. Indeed, this describe us, the Church.
#End of Homily More notes—
In listening to the more famous songs of people being deceived by the witchy woman of the world (who works for the devil, whether she realizes it or not), I heard a top song of this August 2024 of a person seeking some sign of “the other side” or a “message” or “a word” to notice. It’s called Cardinal by Kasey Musgraves. She suddenly notices a red bird that comes a particular time of her wondering mind, and she sings and asks: Cardinal Are you bringing me a message from the other side? Cardinal Are you tellin’ me I’m on somebody’s mind? Cardinal Are you bringing me a message from the other side? I would want to answer her song—Yes, the Lord has many signs for you! Primarily, it is the sign of the Church, her people, and Christ in His Word and Sacrament which is all around you in this world. Come to Christ and see!