A worthy wife. A faithful life.
A worthy wife.
This sounds… a bit bland.
But this song at the conclusion of Proverbs is the comprehensive picture of a worthy wife. Every line starts with another letter of the alphabet, from aleph to tav… from A to Z. This is the capstone to the Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. He writes to his son, the future king, urging him to heed wisdom, who rebukes and calls out in the street, and who desires to be as close as our own hearts, as close as our spouse, and is an ever-present attendant at the throne. Here, in conclusion of it all, we see wisdom as a worthy wife.
Biblical scholar John Bergsma points out that this is not “a worthy wife.” (I heartily recommend his reflections.)
Not just a good wife, or even a perfect wife. The Hebrew for worthy is WORTHY. Admirable. Honorable. Mighty. Heroic. Powerful. Valorous. A term used to describe “a worthy adversary” or “a worthy hero” or “a worthy unit” of soldiers being celebrated.
This is not just the song of the unattainably perfect and imaginary wife.
This is the Song of the Valiant Wife.
And what are her mighty and valiant works? What works praise her at the city gates? What mighty battles does she win?
She seeks out wool and flax, and weaves. She rises early in the morning to distribute food to her family. She buys and plants in the field. Her lamp is never extinguished, because she is like the wise virgins, and, like Tom Bodett at Motel 6, she keeps the light on at night, so travelers can find rest. She reaches out her hands to the poor and the needy. She offers kindly instruction. She is hard-working.
These are her deeds. These are the deeds of Wisdom, attendant at the throne of the Father. She serves constantly and faithfully, humbly, with compassion, and with great love. She is the first sign of the Spirit of the Lord Isaiah describes as wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. She was there when God prepared the heavens, and remains always at God’s throne. She is Hagia Sophia – Holy Wisdom, and this song describes her person and her work.
She is faithful in small things.
This 33rd week in Ordinary Time is our last week of the year. We will celebrate the feast of Christ, King of the Universe, then enter Advent, as we contemplate the return of our Lord, and his first coming at Bethlehem.
But, “concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be [said] to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night… But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light, and children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore… let us stay alert and sober.”
God has placed time, talent, and treasure into our hands. Have we handled those things wisely this year? There are no treasures on this earth greater than the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve. Have we been good stewards of those under our care, and of relationships with one another? Is Christ our King joyful to celebrate our faithfulness in small things?
Perhaps a few of you are called to be great, capital-S, five-talent Saints. Perhaps a few of you are called to great success. Perhaps a few of you are called to reap a great harvest of souls. Most of us are simply called to be faithful in small things. We are called to plant, and not be distracted by looking back to see if the rows are straight. We are called to water, and to stay connected to the source of life, and not worry about the weeds. We are called to invest our small talents in the work and lives of others without comparing ourselves to anyone.
Saint Paul writes to the Corinthians that Christ is the power and wisdom of God. And yet, also, the fathers and doctors of the Church have recognized that somehow the Holy Spirit is equally the wisdom of God. This belongs to the mystery of the Trinity: both transcendent and beyond all our comprehension, and immanent, present in our very hearts.
Saint Francis of Assisi tells us that the Blessed Virgin enjoys a spousal union with the Holy Spirit. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the saint of Auschwitz, explains that this is the “union of her very being with the being of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in her, lives in her, from the first instant of her existence…” We celebrate this on Friday, December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate conception, a holy day of obligation. Plan for it now.
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son as the perfect and infinite Love between the Father and the Son, so the Holy Spirit is truly all the love of the Most Holy Trinity. So, then, we see in Mary, the most perfect created person, with a created human nature, the perfect fulfillment of the song of the valiant wife. She is the very icon of “the Proverbs 31 woman,” as it is popularly called, because she is so filled with the love of and for the Trinity that Gabriel calls her “full of grace.”
We can always look to her. We can entrust our hearts to Mary. She will bring us good, and not evil, because she will always point us to Christ, and her wise instruction is always the same, as it was at Cana of Galilee:
Do whatever he tells you.
And his commandment remains the same: Love God. Love your neighbor.
Be faithful in doing small things with great love, and the Lord will bless you in this life and the life to come, and joyfully invite you to enter into the joy reserved for those who love God.
