A word fro the wise

Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13; Ps 119 Guide me Lord in the way of your command; Luke 8:19-21

We begin our meditation on the book of the proverbs.  Proverbs in general are considered expressions of popular wisdom, truth that is expressed in common sense language thus easy to grasp and quick to penetrate.

A proverb is like a dagger that jabs quick and the point arrives sooner than we think.

we have proverbial sayings in english: 90% of life is showing up or a cheerful wife is the spice of life or an apple never falls from the tree or all things come to those who wait.

The book of proverbs are filled with little sayings such as the above but are meant to keep our eyes peeled for the action of grace in the human heart, thus purifying our human thought and action.

The last saying for today is the one I would like to call to mind: "He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard."


It reminds in an odd way of the boy who cried wolf.  He would scream out, "wolf" and then people would come running only to find him  laughing because of the prank.

Eventually the prank went to far, after a while the people no longer came running, the joke was over and when danger arose the poor boy was left all alone.

Often times, we react this way to the poor.  We are like the village people, we refuse to heed the cry because we are afraid we may be taken for fools.

So we shut our ears and we turn the other way and we refuse to see or act.

What we forget is that its okay to play the fool for in the end, it is the "Lord who proves the heart."

Not all poor cry "wolf"; some of them are sincere and in need.  For the sake of the one we keep trudging forward remember the words o Christ, "my mothers and brothers are those who her the word of God and act on it."  What is that word, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart....Love your neighbor as yourself.....give to those who ask...."

Many words, one Lord, one way of life.