Lasting Words: The Book of Wisdom

Sacred Scripture on Beauty and Truth….

For the first reading at my funeral (read more about that HERE) I would like these words from The Book of Wisdom proclaimed.  This is God divinely understanding primitive beginnings of finding Him – understanding my own primitive ignorance, when I did not believe in Him and, yet, sought the truth through science alone.  I have always wanted the truth and been drawn to Beauty, loving the beauty of the natural world, even in my ignorance of God.  God was speaking to me – and I recognized Him not.  God is merciful.  (It is clear to me now how Saint Augustine was inspired to write what he wrote on the Beautiful One.)

When my body is in attendance at my last Mass, I want all people in attendance to be filled with the same desire of truth that filled me in my earthly life – and to receive Wisdom from God, as I mercifully did while I still breathed within God’s beautiful Creation of the natural world.  Let us  have mercy on those who still do not know the fullness of reality, that they may come to know God and the fullness of who they are as God’s beloved creatures!

(In case  you’re wondering, yes, I am working on my book – although this is prescheduled,  I trust in God’s mercy that progress is being made.  I will be checking on the comments, so please bug me! 🙂 )

Wisdom  13:1-9

Foolish by nature were all who were in ignorance of God,

and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing the one who is,^*

and from studying the works did not discern the artisan;^a

Instead either fire, or wind, or the swift air,

or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water,

or the luminaries of heaven, the governors^* of the world, they considered gods.^b

Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods,

let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these;

for the original source of beauty fashioned them.^c

Or if they were struck by their might and energy,

let them realize from these things how much more powerful is the one who made them.^d

For from the greatness and the beauty of created things

their original author, by analogy, is seen.

But yet, for these the blame is less;^*

For they have gone astray perhaps,

though they seek God and wish to find him.

For they search busily among his works,

but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.

But again, not even these are pardonable.

For if they so far succeeded in knowledge

that they could speculate about the world,

how did they not more quickly find its Lord?

 

---

 

© 2018 Christina Chase

---

Bible Version, NAB

Photo by nikita velikanin on Unsplash