Wisdom Shouts in the Streets: Come and Listen!

"Wisdom" is the English equivalent of the Greek word Sophia, translated from the Hebrew word Hokhmah.   In Christian theology/mysticism "wisdom" often describes an aspect of the nature of God but many find the feminine image of God in Wisdom. In our passage this week, Wisdom is personified as a woman and we join her as she "shouts in the streets."  In an article entitled, "Wisdom Builds a Poem: The Architecture of Proverbs 1:20-33, Phyllis Trible says,

WISDOM is a woman of many talents. In the Book of Proverbs she appears first as a poet who preaches, counsels, teaches, and prophesies. Her podium is the public arena; there she speaks to all sorts and conditions of people.

Proverbs is located in the "Writings" or the Ketuvim (in the TaNaK) section of the Jewish bible. It is one of the major works along with Psalms, Job, Ecclesiastes and seven other minor works.  In the Writings we find a poetic ode to truth ... we find wisdom and we meet Wisdom!

I invite you to spend a few moments preparing your heart to become receptive to the Word of God through the eyes of the writer of Proverbs.  Breathe deeply and allow yourself to open your heart and your mind to God's Presence within you.  Breathe deeply and allow a breath prayer to arise from deep within you and repeat your prayer until you feel the peace of God wash over you.  Then you are ready to listen for the gentle whispers of God.  Use this prayer or create your own (six to eight syllables) 

          Breathe in ... Sweet Wisdom (pause)     Breath out ... Help me listen! (pause)

and when you are ready to move deeper into the text ... Pray:  Sweet Wisdom, Mother God ... I hear you shouting, I hear you calling to me.  Come and listen, come and listen.  My deepest desire is to hear your voice.  Speak to me and help me hear the words I need to hear.  Amen.   

Let us follow Guido II, a medieval Christian leader into prayerful reflection through Lectio Divina

Lectio ... Read Proverbs 1:20-33 aloud and simply savor the words as you read.  Read the text a second time notice what you notice.   Was there a word or phrase that shimmered as you read?  Say the word or phrase aloud several times focusing your attention.

Wisdom shouts in the streets.    She cries out in the public square.
She calls to the crowds along the main street,
    to those gathered in front of the city gate:
“How long, you simpletons,
    will you insist on being simpleminded?
How long will you mockers relish your mocking?
    How long will you fools hate knowledge?
Come and listen to my counsel.
I’ll share my heart with you
    and make you wise.

“I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come.
    I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.
You ignored my advice
    and rejected the correction I offered.
So I will laugh when you are in trouble!
    I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
    when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone,
    and anguish and distress overwhelm you.

“When they cry for help, I will not answer.
    Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.
For they hated knowledge
    and chose not to fear the Lord.
They rejected my advice
    and paid no attention when I corrected them.
Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way,
    choking on their own schemes.
For simpletons turn away from me—to death.
    Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
But all who listen to me will live in peace,
    untroubled by fear of harm.”

Meditatio ... Read the passage again and Reflect as you consider, "Where does my word/phrase touch my life?  What is God saying to me through this passage?"

Oratio ... Read the passage again and Respond as you consider, "Is there an invitation for me in this passage?  How do I want to respond to the call I sense from God?"

Contemplatio ... Simply Rest in the Silence of God's gentle Presence.  As you emerge from your silence perhaps you might consider this artwork by Hildegard of Bingen from around 1165

The work of art depicted in this image and the reproduction thereof are in the public domain worldwide. 
The reproduction is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by The Yorck Project. The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

When you are ready to emerge from your time of Prayer and Relfection, perhaps you might use this poem by Vladimir Solovyev, from Three Meetings, 1875 as your closing prayer.  

What is, what was, what shall forever be -
All, all was held here in one steady gaze...
The seas and rivers blue beneath me,
Distant woods, snow-capped peaks.

I saw all, and all was one --
A single image of womanly beauty...
Pregnant with vastnesses!
Before me, in me -- only You.

Amen ...

Cindy's Meditation ... O Wisdom, you are my mother and my friend!  And how the memories come flooding back to me.  You waited for me as I played the simpleton and ate the fruit of living my own way.  How you must have laughed at me and grieved for me.  Any yet, you were waiting for me when I came home.  I have learned to listen for your voice and heed your presence ... I live in peace!