O Jesus! O Wisdom!
Christians in the West welcome the coming of the Christ with a series of prayers that being with the exclamation: “O!”
What else could we say?
The child who sees the long awaited present on Christmas morning says, “O!”
Playtime has begun.
The student at terms end who sees that he has passed, actually passed, the dreaded final says, “O!”
The Christmas break has begun.
At the end of labor my long-suffering wife saw her baby and said, “O!”
Snuggle time had begun.
Christians know what will come to them during the service on Christmas Eve and we cannot wait to say, “O!”
Our life in Christ has already begun, but will be renewed.
One of the “O!” prayers is:
O Wisdom which camest out of the mouth of the Most High and reachest from one end to another mightily and sweetly ordering all things: come and teach us the way of prudence.
The Most High speaks Wisdom.
Now.
Are we listening?
Our imprudent and fearful souls would drown out the voice of the Most High if would could. We commercialize, consume, and cut out even the slightest reference to Christ from Christmas.
But even the X we use to hide the Christ in Christmas, speaks His Wisdom in an ancient tongue. The cruciform X is the shape of the first letter of Christ in the language of the New Testament. It becomes a hidden icon on even the most secular of signs sounding out the Wisdom that will not be silenced.
That Wisdom reaches from one end to another. It is heard from one end to another of the cosmos, of the nation, and of my soul. The might of it makes it inescapable, but the sweetness makes it utterly desirable.
It is the curse of unredeemed humanity that we reject becoming wise because we demand to be Wisdom. Wisdom comes to make us like Himself, but we demand that He cease to be Himself and give us His throne. Fallen humanity wishes to possess the Divine nature and so misses the awesome gift of His Divine energies.
We are imprudent and so unhappy. Like children who spoil Christmas Day by demanding inappropriate gifts, we miss the best by demanding the impossible.
Wisdom would teach us prudence, the virtue that guides us to the maximization of happiness and pleasure, so we try to block our ears with impudence.
O! Good news! Despite our impudence and imprudence, Wisdom speaks! Jesus speaks lovingly to us and brings better order to our souls. We hear event if it is only an echo of His Christmas carol and everything else is revealed to be a cheap and hollow sham.
He brings Christmas and holidays and we can never be satisfied with a mere day off again.
Wisdom is born in the middle of our mess. He sounds His mighty and sweet voice in the irresistible, insistent, and precious sound of a crying child.
Wisdom speaks in every cry of the Baby born this night.
O!