Second Week of Advent - Friday - 'Wisdom is justified by her deeds'

Readings: Isaiah 48:17-19, Ps 1, Matthew 11:16-19

If you want to live as part of a happy community, usually it's a good idea to try to fit in and not cause offence to other people – don't rock the boat. This principle governs much of our day to day behaviour, and within reason, this is no bad thing, but today's Gospel reminds us that this cannot be an ultimate principle. John the Baptist, who went out into the wilderness and preached a message of repentance, definitely didn't fit in, and Jesus, who ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners, certainly caused offence.

What is at work here is divine wisdom. Jesus says 'Wisdom is justified by her deeds.' The ultimate guiding principle to our actions must be love of divine wisdom. If we show sorrows for our sins by fasting and try to live lives of purity, we might not fit in with the rest of society, but we will be open to divine wisdom. Likewise, befriending people who don't follow Church teaching may be a cause of scandal – we may find ourselves being accused of selling out or supporting sinful behaviour – but this fear of scandal cannot be a reason for hostility towards such people. If we are to be open to divine wisdom, we must also be willing to share it. It is our greatest gift. Trying not to rock the boat may be an expression of love of neighbour, but all too often, we are motivated by purely selfish motives – we don't want people to think we are weird and we want to be respected and loved. Let us therefore pray that our hearts may be truly open to the divine wisdom, the Word of God, who became Incarnate in Jesus Christ.