One day, a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish. About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this man was relaxing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. "You aren't going to catch many fish that way," said the businessman to the fisherman, "you should be working rather than lying on the beach!"
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, "And what will my reward be?"
"Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!" was the businessman's answer.
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.
The businessman replied, "You will make money and you'll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!"
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again.
The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman's questions. "You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!" he said.
"And then what will my reward be?" repeated the fisherman.
The businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!"
Once again the fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?"
The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, "Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have a care in the world!"
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "And what do you think I'm doing right now?"
Our society is so materialistic, that it is easy for us to forget what really matters in life. To so many people, happiness depends on possessions. A beautiful house, a luxurious car, the latest in video and sound equipment, an exotic vacation, all these things become people’s goals in life. Then, if one of these items cannot be attained, if a young couple cannot get a mortgage for their dream house, if an older couple cannot retire when they expected to, if the promotion a person was counting on falls through, then, for some people, life has taken a terrible turn for the worse. They become despondent. They can no longer have what they set their heart on.
Actually, this is not just a quirk of modern American Society. The Egyptians buried their stuff with them so they could take it to the next life. In every culture, man has tried to cling to wealth and struggles with letting go. In the Gospel for this Sunday a young man is called upon to leave his riches to follow the Lord. This is a good man. This is someone who has tried hard to serve God. This is a man whom Jesus looks upon and loves. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t leave his possessions to follow the Lord. He had many possessions. Too many. He was incapable of seeing the all surmounting value of following Christ. Just as some people entrust the happiness of their families to their things rather to the presence of the Lord in their love for each other.
The remedy for this is found in the first reading from the book of wisdom. King Solomon is reigning over one of the most prosperous and peaceful eras that God’s Chosen People have ever experienced. It is here that the Lord appears to the young king and promises him any one thing that he asks for. Imagine the thoughts that must have gone through Solomon’s mind. Should he ask for unlimited power? Endless riches? Ceaseless pleasure? Perfect health? Certainly any of us would rank these requests high on our list. But instead of these attractive things, he begs the Lord for something much more subtle and profound. He asks for Wisdom, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and because of that, all of the gifts that he could ever have wanted followed.
So what is this wisdom that Solomon speaks so highly of? It is really the combination of three desirable traits working together in perfect unity. True wisdom is the blending of knowledge, experience, and good judgment together to inform every decision a person makes. This harmony of knowledge, experience, and good judgment makes a person wise and able to see things for what they are, both good and bad. A wise person has perspective when it comes to setbacks and disappointments, he knows what to fight for and when to concede. The people who possess wisdom know the right order for living, how to make good choices, avoid evil, and most importantly, how to have the right priorities.
A truly wise person can live with incredible wealth or complete poverty and still be happy. And whether they find themselves surrounded by friends or under siege by enemies, they will still find peace. And in any other circumstance you can think of, good or bad, the wise person has all that they really need because their strength and joy and comfort come first from the Lord, who never breaks his promises and who never stops protecting those who call upon him in faith.
Our readings today require us to look inward and ask if we are truly wise. Have we asked God for his gift of knowledge, experience, and good judgement to live within us? Are we humble enough to accept the lessons that wisdom teaches us, lessons that often require a complete faith and trust in God? Can we believe that if we seek his wisdom then everything else that we need will be given to us in abundance? And that the things we used to think so important, might no longer matter so much? Or will we falter like the rich young man, whom Jesus saw and loved and invited to draw one step closer to perfection and eternal life? Will we go away sad because we cannot escape the power that worldly things and riches and prestige have over us?
To possess wisdom and live wisely is not easy, in fact on our own we won’t get there. But with the help of God’s grace and learning from him in daily prayer, he will share this wisdom with us freely. May we be wise enough to put the things of this world in their proper place and when Christ invites us to trust and follow him, may we joyfully answer yes, without sadness or hesitation.
