—But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever.”

In a few weeks we will be in the midst of anticipation, preparing with prayer and fasting for the Solemnity of our Lord’s birth.

Throughout the season of Advent we will sing O Come O Come Emanuel.

In that hymn we will sing:

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

We sing out a prayer, begging our Lord to teach us to walk in the path of knowledge —“ not book knowledge, but in wisdom; the knowledge that can only be given by the Wisdom from on high.

If we join ourselves to Christ and seek His wisdom we will be counted among the wise, and at the end we shall shine brightly. Along with the psalmist we will say:

You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.

The wise are those who attune their lives, every aspect of their lives, to Christ Jesus. The wise are those who pledge their lives to His Holy Church, who join together in the one true faith, working mightily to adhere to the Church’s teachings on faith, morals, and practice. Christ’s Holy Church is the path to eternal life —“ and apart from Her you cannot come to completeness of understanding.

The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ

…offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.

But who are His enemies? I’m sure we could all come up with a quick list, and most certainly our list would be wrong.

That is because we think of enemies in human, physical terms. The writer speaks of the metaphysical enemy —“ sin and worldliness.

Joining ourselves to the Holy Church may seem at times to be an accident of history —“ a random chance. We could have been born Jewish, Hindu, or Mormon. But adjudging our place in the world as an accident, as mere randomness would be wrong. It is not true. We are here because we were chosen to do exactly what the writer to the Hebrews describes. We are to fold ourselves into the wisdom of God, and fight sin.

We are to cooperate with Jesus Christ in crushing sin, most especially our own, destroying it with His wisdom, with His grace.

We are here for that exact reason, and because of His graces we have been offered something that so many will miss —“ the chance to say yes to God, no to sin. We are offered the opportunity to consciously say yes and Amen, to be reborn and regenerated in water and the Holy Spirit. As Bishop Hodur said:

Rebirth comes from a spiritual transformation which changes man into a new being. It begins with an understanding of our true relationship with God and moving into closer union with Him.

Wisdom then is exactly that, the clarity of thought brought to us by grace, through which we come to understand our relationship to God and move ever closer to Him. It is the choice of the right path, the sinless path, the path of wisdom, becoming like unto God, what the Orthodox call Theosis.

If we choose to be wise and opt for He who is Wisdom then we shall shine brightly, like the splendor of the firmament.

I began by speaking of the weeks ahead. Today’s readings and Gospel remind us that tomorrow, while only a day away, may never come. They remind us that time is in God’s hands, and that we must ever be prepared and watchful, like the wise virgins who trimmed their lamps.

Wisdom tells us to draw closer and closer to God —“ not to forsake a minute.

Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.

Jesus, eternal Wisdom, will never pass away.

Therefore, be wise, be faithful, make your choice and set your course. Follow Jesus and crush the enemy —“ sin —“ under His feet. Start with your own sin and live a life of witness, making right choices based on God’s wisdom.

Once we begin we can, with clear conscience, hear the words of Jesus given to St. John through the angel:

“Yes, I am coming soon.”

And cry out with Saint John:

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!