Wisdom’s Feast
“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live,and walk in the way of insight.”
This Novgorod "Sophia, the Wisdom of God" icon beautifully illustrates the themes of divine wisdom and spiritual nourishment that permeates this week’s readings. - not in His incarnate human form, but as a fiery, angelic figure. This depiction of the pre-incarnate Christ, embodying the words of St. Paul: "Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24). This image reminds us that true wisdom is not merely intellectual knowledge, but a living, dynamic presence – Christ Himself.
This representation of Christ as Divine Wisdom, separate from His human incarnation (which is depicted above in the more familiar form), invites us to contemplate the eternal nature of God's wisdom. It reminds us that the wisdom we seek in our daily lives is not merely human insight, but a participation in the divine mind that existed before creation and became incarnate in Jesus.
The seven pillars supporting the throne of Wisdom echo our reading from Proverbs, where Wisdom builds her house on seven pillars and prepares a feast, and this visual metaphor complements our exploration of Jesus as the Bread of Life. Just as the pre-incarnate Wisdom prepared a feast, the incarnate Christ offers Himself as spiritual nourishment.
The presence of Mary and John the Baptist flanking the central figure emphasizes how this eternal, divine Wisdom became accessible in history through the Incarnation. As we reflect on how we feast on God's wisdom in our daily lives, this icon encourages us to seek Christ's presence both in His eternal, divine nature and in the tangible, historical reality of His life and teachings.
The icon's rich symbolism - from the fiery red of divine wisdom to the celestial realm depicted above - reminds us that in seeking wisdom, we are reaching for something that transcends our ordinary understanding. Yet, as the image of the incarnate Christ shows, this wisdom has also come near to us, offering itself as nourishment for our souls.
"Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."
- John 6:56
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Texts for This Week
Prayer
Keep your Church, O Lord, by your perpetual mercy; and because without you the frailty of our nature causes us to fall, keep us from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable for our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Strength of Wisdom
In her hymn "O virtus Sapientiae" (O Strength of Wisdom), the 12th-century mystic Hildegard of Bingen offers us a vivid and dynamic image of divine wisdom that resonates deeply with our exploration of Christ as the embodiment of God's wisdom and the source of our spiritual nourishment.
Hildegard envisions Wisdom as a powerful, all-encompassing force "circling, circling, comprehending all in one path which has life." This image echoes our understanding of Christ as the pre-existent Wisdom of God, eternally present and active in creation. Just as the Sophia icon depicts Christ as the fiery, angelic embodiment of Wisdom, Hildegard's words paint a picture of Wisdom as an ever-moving, all-embracing presence.
The hymn's striking imagery of Wisdom's three wings offers us a rich metaphor for how divine wisdom operates in our lives:
One wing "flies to the heights" - reminding us to seek the transcendent, to lift our minds and hearts to contemplate divine mysteries.
Another wing "sweats on the earth" - grounding us in the practical, everyday application of wisdom in our lives and communities.
The third wing "flies everywhere" - suggesting the omnipresence of divine wisdom, available to all who seek it.
As we reflect on how we feast on God's wisdom, Hildegard's hymn encourages us to engage with all three aspects: to soar in contemplation, to work diligently in applying wisdom to our daily lives, and to recognize the presence of divine wisdom in all things. This kind of comprehensive approach to seeking and embodying wisdom points us to Christ as the Bread of Life, nourishing us spiritually, intellectually, and practically.
