Fore-feast of the Encounter. Holy Martyr Tryphon (249-51).
Romans 8:28-39. Luke 10:19-21.
Read Luke 10:19-21
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
There is a story, recounted by Plato, that the Oracle of Delphi declared Socrates to be the wisest man in Athens. Instead of embracing the title, Socrates aimed to disprove it. He questioned everyone he could find, seeking someone wiser, but discovered they only pretended knowledge. Eventually, he realized the Oracle was right. Socrates was the wisest because he admitted his ignorance, unlike others who feigned knowledge. Despite feeling lacking in wisdom, his humility set him apart and made him truly wise.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus prays: “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will” (Luke 10:21).
Jesus is not denigrating true wisdom. The Holy Scriptures speak of wisdom as, “better than gold” (Proverbs 16:16), and “a fountain of life to him who has it” (Proverbs 16:22)”. Rather, here Christ is referring to those people who are convinced of the sufficiency of their own wisdom and understanding. Such ones will never approach Christ, because they do not believe that He can give them anything they don’t already know, and in this way, the mysteries of the Kingdom are hidden from them.
Just as the key to Socrates’ wisdom was his humble recognition of his own ignorance, the key to the understanding of the things of God, is the humble recognition of our insufficiency and our need for Him. St. Isaac the Syrian says that, “When a man knows himself, the knowledge of all things is granted to him, for to know one’s self is the fullness of the knowledge of all things. In the submission of your soul all things will be submissive unto you. At the time when humility reigns in your manner of life, your soul will submit herself to you, and along with her, all things will be submitted to you, because the peace of God is born in your heart.”
The wisdom and understanding we seek is not merely intellectual knowledge about God, but wisdom borne from an experience of communion with God. This comes not from study, but from prayer; prayer which, as St. Sophronoy of Essex tells us, “not infrequently means telling God of our disastrous state: of our weakness and despondency, our doubts and fears, the melancholy, the despair – in brief, everything connected with our condition. To pour it all out, not seeking to express it elegantly or even in logical sequence. Often this method of approach to God turns out to be the beginning of prayer as communion.”