Wisdom
Some people are very smart, but not very wise. That’s because wisdom
and “smarts” are two different things. Being smart has to do
with knowledge of the things of the world. But the gift of Wisdom
reaches beyond the temporal to the eternal. It is seeing through the
eyes of or being more in tune with the mind of God. St. Augustine said
that “Wisdom is the knowledge of Divine things.” It helps us order our
thoughts and actions according to divine truths.
So Wisdom is not necessarily reliant on the intellect. One can have great
knowledge, but not possess Wisdom. Conversely, one can be very wise
but lack formal education. And while Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit,
it can also grow in one’s life. As an old saying goes, “With age comes
wisdom.”
In the Old Testament, we have the Book of Wisdom. In this book, Wisdom
is referred to as a person, with the feminine personal pronouns
“she” and “her.” This book helps us understand what Wisdom is and
how important it is to pray for a greater outpouring of this gift.
“For in her is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unham-
and pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
And she, who is one, can do all things, and renews everything while herself
perduring; and passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces
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friends of God and prophets.” (Wisdom 7:22-23, 27)
For further study:
The Book of Wisdom