DIVINE AND HUMAN WISDOM
Fr. IRENEUSZ SKUBIŚ
A beautiful carol story which we sing in our churches at this time – ‘Wise men of the world and monarchs’ reminds me of our great friend – the late bishop prof. Bohdan Bejze, who had served to the Church in Poland for many years, especially in the archdiocese of Łódź. Bishop Bohdan loved this carol very much. In the beginning of the new year, he started his every, as always sincere, warm-hearted and nice meeting with people with the words of this carol: ‘Wise men of the world and monarchs, where are you going so hastily/Tell us, Three Kings, do you want to see the Baby…’. He also created special atmosphere for human reflections on wisdom. For, wise men were not ordinary people, who, using the gift of wisdom, were trying to find the Truth. The Star – the scientific, astronomic premise led them to Bethlehem. They saw Redeemer of the world, promised Messiah in little Jesus born, in poverty.
The man finding the supreme Truth, Beauty and Love in God is a great sign for science. For, it is impossible to get to know the Earth, our planet, it is impossible to speak about unusual matters connected with micro- and macro- space without being aware of the existence of an enormous power which creates and stimulates for development. ‘Cogito ergo sum’ – I think, so I am – said a philosopher. Thinking, using the mind, the role of consciousness – are natural ways of searching for the First Reason, the Source of Matter and life by the man. At one moment, on these roads, we can notice – if, certainly, we think over it – that the reality carries a stigma of divinity, that we live in the world arranged by Somebody, and which does not undergo any chaos or mess. It must be stated that there are many phenomena which are inexplicable with natural-chemical-physical laws: the very human biology is astonishing – the fact that we are born as men or women, that as such we grow and develop in order to fulfill the role of a husband or a wife later, father or mother; that each of us was planned in a precise way, with a purpose, set in the first existence of the human cell and has his own genetic metric; that everybody is also an element of the great system of the Earth. These are principal rules of existence and functioning of every human being. Therefore, our national poet, Adam Mickiewicz called the Creator of the World the Grandmaster. Only He, the Creator of the Heaven and the Earth can be the Author.
Here I will also mention a book of Fr. Józef Czarniecki entitled ‘Do not correct God’, published in the 30s of the XX century. Its purpose was to remind the man that it is necessary to perceive the quality and the value of the natural world which is marked by rationality and thoughtfulness. Anyway - there is no creation when a scholar is looking at the reality and is trying to decipher mechanisms which are functioning in it. It can only be an experiment, discernment. It was well understood by the wise men from the East, therefore, they were looking for the One who is the First Impulse in order to pay homage to Him.
The three wise men described in the New Testament as people searching for the Messiah are our patrons of real wisdom and facing it with joy and humility, and also with the biggest respect. It is also respect for the whole creation in which we appreciate God’s thought and God’s order. The more we discover rationality and greatness in the work of creation, the more obliged we are to appreciate God and be grateful to Him.
In the whole world God’s great wisdom is seen, which is directed to the good. In the Book of Genesis we read: ‘And God saw that everything which He had made was good’ (1.31). So, let’s not correct God, because we are not equal to Him in wisdom and love.
When we are looking at the wise men today, who are looking for the newly born Jewish King, we notice that as people, they were beautifully using the Divine gift of wisdom, which God gives the man through the Holy Spirit. It is the best gift of all, as thanks to it we find the sense of our life and we are learning to look at the world through the prism of what is the most important. So, the liturgical ceremony of the Three Kings is called Epiphany (God’s Revelation). Because God reveals the truth which He is himself to somebody who is searching sincerely, patiently and with love.
(AA)
"Niedziela" 2/2014