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Wis 9

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Solomon prays for Wisdom
1 God of my fathers, and Lord of mercy, who have made all things with your word, 2 And by your wisdom have appointed man, that he should have dominion over the creature that was made by you, 3 That he should order the world according to equity and justice, and execute justice with an upright heart: 4 Give me wisdom, that sits by your throne, and cast me not off from among your children: 5 For I am your servant, and the son of your handmaid, a weak man, and of short time, and falling short of the understanding of judgment and laws. 6 For if one be perfect among the children of men, yet if your wisdom be not with him, he shall be nothing regarded.


He requests Wisdom to govern justly
7 You have chosen me to be king of your people, and a judge of your sons and daughters. 8 And have commanded me to build a temple on your holy mount, and an altar in the city of your dwelling place, a resemblance of your holy tabernacle, which you have prepared from the beginning: 9 And your wisdom with you, which knows your works, which then also was present when you made the world, and knew what was agreeable to your eyes, and what was right in your commandments. 10 Send her out of your holy heaven, and from the throne of your majesty, that she may be with me, and may labour with me, that I may know what is acceptable with you: 11 For she knows and understands all things, and shall lead me soberly in my works, and shall preserve me by her power. 12 So shall my works be acceptable, and I shall govern your people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne of my father.


Wisdom is unobtainable unless God gives it
13 For who among men is he that can know the counsel of God? or who can think what the will of God is? 14 For the thoughts of mortal men are fearful, and our counsels uncertain. 15 For the corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presses down the mind that has many concerns. 16 And hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon earth: and with labour do we find the things that are before us. But the things that are in heaven, who shall search out? 17 And who shall know your thought, except you give wisdom, and send your Holy Spirit from above: 18 And so the ways of them that are upon earth may be corrected, and men may learn the things that please you? 19 For by wisdom they were healed, whosoever have pleased you, O Lord, from the beginning.

Commentary on Wisdom 9
 
9:1 God of my fathers: namely, the ancients; Exodus 3:6: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’. (St. Bonaventure)

9:4 The soul of a just person is a throne of wisdom. Therefore, because God is wisdom, and if the throne of God is heaven, and the soul of a just person is a throne of wisdom, then the soul of a just person is also heaven. (St. Augustine Ex Ps 46:9)

9:5 It is patently clear that human weakness, unless it be upheld by divine help, being inadequate in innumerable cases, is reduced to nothing. (Rabanus Maurus)

9:7 chosen me to be king: Solomon or Christ. (Rabanus Maurus)

9:8 temple: But because the temple also represents the Church, which Christ, the true man of peace, builds with his workers, that is, his preachers. (Rabanus Maurus) tabernacle: The tabernacle that Moses made in the desert, and the temple that Solomon made in Jerusalem, represent the state of the universal Church, part of which reigns with Christ in heaven, and part is absent from the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6) on earth. (St. Bede On Tab 2.1)		 9:14 Hence in the research of counsel, man requires to be directed by God who comprehends all things: and this is done through the gift of counsel, whereby man is directed as though counseled by God, just as, in human affairs, those who are unable to take counsel for themselves, seek counsel from those who are wiser. (St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 52.1)

9:15 Augustine says that "the more peril there was in the battle, the greater the joy in the triumph." But there is no strife or struggle in contemplation on the part of the truth which we contemplate, though there is on the part of our defective understanding and our corruptible body which drags us down to lower things. (St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 180.7) It is manifest that the happiness of the saints will increase in extent after the resurrection, because their happiness will then be not only in the soul but also in the body. Moreover, the soul's happiness also will increase in extent, seeing that the soul will rejoice not only in its own good, but also in that of the body. (Sum Theo 93.1)

9:16 things that are in heaven: But these substances are said to be in heaven, according to Matthew 18:10, "Their angels in heaven," etc. Therefore immaterial substances cannot be known by human investigation. (St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 88.1)
 
CCC 9:9 295
 
 
 
 
 
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