The Love of Eternal Wisdom by St. Louis De Montfort

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THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

by St. Louis De Montfort

CONTENTS:

Prayer to Eternal Wisdom


Preliminary observations


CHAPTER 1. TO LOVE AND SEEK DIVINE WISDOM WE NEED TO KNOW HIM

1. Our need to acquire knowledge of divine Wisdom

2. Definition and division of the subject


CHAPTER 2. ORIGIN AND EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

1. Wisdom in reference to the Father

2. The activity of eternal Wisdom in souls


CHAPTER 3. THE MARVELOUS POWER OF DIVINE WISDOM SHOWN IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND MAN

1. In the creation of the world

2. In the creation of man


CHAPTER 4. MARVELS OF WISDOM'S GOODNESS AND MERCY BEFORE HIS INCARNATION

1. The Incarnation is decreed

2. The time before the Incarnation


CHAPTER 5. MARVELOUS EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM


CHAPTER 6. EARNEST DESIRE OF DIVINE WISDOM TO GIVE HIMSELF TO MEN

1. Eternal Wisdom's letter of love

2. Incarnation, Death and the Eucharist

3. The ingratitude of those who refuse


CHAPTER 7. CHOICE OF TRUE WISDOM

1. Wisdom of the world

2. Natural wisdom


CHAPTER 8. MARVELOUS EFFECTS OF WISDOM IN THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO POSSESS HIM


CHAPTER 9. THE INCARNATION AND LIFE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

1. The Incarnation

2. Life of Wisdom Incarnate [Jesus Christ]


CHAPTER 10. THE CAPTIVATING BEAUTY AND THE INEXPRESSIBLE GENTLENESS OF INCARNATE WISDOM

1. Wisdom is gentle in his origin

2. He is declared gentle by the Prophets

3. He is gentle in his name

4. He is gentle in his looks

5. He is gentle in his words


CHAPTER 11. THE GENTLENESS OF THE INCARNATE WISDOM IN HIS ACTIONS

6. He is gentle in his actions

7. He continues to be gentle in heaven


CHAPTER 12. THE PRINCIPAL SAYINGS OF WISDOM INCARNATE WHICH WE MUST BELIEVE AND PRACTICE IF WE ARE TO BE SAVED


CHAPTER 13. SUMMARY OF THE UNBELIEVABLE SORROWS THE INCARNATE WISDOM CHOSE TO ENDURE OUT OF LOVE FOR US

1. The most convincing reason for loving Wisdom

2. The circumstances of his Passion

3. The great love with which he suffered


CHAPTER 14. THE TRIUMPH OF ETERNAL WISDOM IN AND BY THE CROSS

1. Wisdom and the Cross

2. The Cross and ourselves


CHAPTER 15. MEANS TO ACQUIRE DIVINE WISDOM

1. THE FIRST MEANS: AN ARDENT DESIRE

2. THE SECOND MEANS: CONTINUOUS PRAYER


CHAPTER 16. THE THIRD MEANS: UNIVERSAL MORTIFICATION

1. Necessity of Mortification

2. Qualities required for mortification


CHAPTER 17. FOURTH MEANS: A LOVING AND GENUINE DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

1. Necessity of genuine devotion to Mary

2 What genuine devotion to Mary consists in


CONSECRATION OF ONESELF TO JESUS CHRIST, WISDOM INCARNATE, THROUGH THE HANDS OF MARY

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Prayer to Eternal Wisdom

O divine Wisdom, Lord of heaven and earth, I humbly beg pardon for my audacity in attempting to speak of your perfections, ignorant and sinful as I am. I beg you not to consider the darkness of my mind or the uncleanness of my lips unless it be to take them away with a glance of your eyes and a breath of your mouth. There is in you so much beauty and delight; you have shielded me from so many evils and showered on me so many favors, and you are moreover so little known and so much slighted. How can I remain silent? Not only justice and gratitude, but my own interests urge me to speak about you, even though it be so imperfectly. It is true, I can only lisp like a child, but then I am only a child, anxious to learn how to speak properly through my lisping, once I have attained the fullness of your age (cf. Eph. 4:13).

1 know there seems to be neither order nor sense in what I write, but because I long so dearly to possess you, I am looking for you everywhere, like Solomon, wandering in all directions (Wisd. 8:18). If I am striving to make you known in this world, it is because you yourself have promised that all who explain you and make you known will have eternal life (cf. Sir. 8:18).

Accept, then, my loving Lord, these humble words of mine as though they were a masterly discourse. Look upon the strokes of my pen as so many steps to find you and from your throne above bestow your blessings and your enlightenment on what I mean to say about you, so that those who read it may be filled with a fresh desire to love you and possess you, on earth as well as in heaven.

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Admonitions of divine Wisdom to the rulers of this world given in the sixth chapter of the "Book of Wisdom"

1. Wisdom is better than strength and prudence is better than courage.

2. Listen, therefore, kings, and understand. Learn, you judges of the nations.

3. Hear this, you who rule the people and boast of the large number of nations subject to you.

4. Remember you have received your power from the Lord and your authority from the Most High, who will examine your works and scrutinize your thoughts.

5. For, though ministers of his kingdom, you have not judged fairly, nor observed the law of justice, nor walked according to his will.

6. He will appear to you terribly and swiftly, because those who rule others will be judged severely.

7. For God has more compassion for the lowly and they are forgiven more easily, but the mighty will be punished mightily.

8. God shows no partiality; he does not stand in awe of anyone's greatness, because he himself made both the lowly and the great and he is concerned for all alike.

9. But the great are threatened with greater punishment.

10. To you then, rulers, my words are directed so that you may learn wisdom and may not go astray.

11. For they who perform just deeds will be considered just and those who have understood what I teach will have a valid defence.

12. Therefore, desire ardently to know my words, love them and you will find instruction in them.

13. Wisdom is resplendent and her beauty never fades. Those who love her will have no trouble in recognizing her; and those who seek her will find her.

14. She anticipates those who desire her and makes herself known first to them.

15. He who rises early to look for her will not be disappointed, for she will be found sitting at his gate.

16. To reflect on Wisdom is the highest prudence and he who foregoes sleep to possess her will soon be given repose.

17. For she goes around seeking those worthy of her, graciously shows her ways to them, guides them and provides for them with loving care.

18. The first step, then, towards acquiring Wisdom is a sincere desire for instruction; the desire for instruction is love; and love is the keeping of her laws.

19. Assiduous obedience to her laws assures a perfect purity of soul.

20. And perfect purity brings one close to God.

21. Thus the desire for Wisdom leads to the everlasting kingdom.

22. If then, rulers of nations, you delight in thrones and scepters, love Wisdom and you will reign eternally.

23. All you who rule over the peoples of the world,love the insight given by Wisdom.

24. 1 will tell you now what Wisdom is and how she came to be. I will not hide the secrets of God from you but I will trace her right from the beginning. I will throw light upon her and make her known and not hide the truth.

25. 1 will not imitate the man consumed with envy, for the envious have nothing in common with Wisdom.

26. Multitudes of wise men will bring salvation to the world, and a prudent king is a strong support for his people.

27. Accept, then, instruction from my words and you will draw profit from them.

Preliminary observations

I did not want, my dear reader, to mingle my poor words with the inspired words of the Holy Spirit. Yet I make bold to offer a few comments:

How gentle, attractive and approachable is eternal Wisdom who possesses such splendour, excellence and grandeur. He invites men to come to him because he wants to teach them the way to happiness. He is for ever searching for them and always greets them with a smile. He bestows blessings on them many times over and forestalls their needs in a thousand different ways, and even goes as far as to wait at their very doorstep to give them proofs of his friendship.

Who could be so heartless as to refuse to love this gentle conqueror?

How unfortunate are the rich and powerful if they do not love eternal Wisdom. How terrifying are the warnings he gives them, so terrifying that they cannot be expressed in human terms: "He will appear to you terribly and swiftly ... those who rule will be judged severely ... the mighty will be punished mightily ... the great are threatened with greater punishment" (Wisd. 6:6,7,9).

To these words can be added those he uttered after he became man: "Woe to you who are rich (Lk. 6:24) ... it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mat. 19; Mk. 10; Lk. 18).

So often were these last words repeated by divine Wisdom while on earth that the three evangelists handed them down without the least variation. They ought to make the rich weep and lament: "And now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you" (Jas. 5:1).

But alas! they find their consolation (Lk. 6:24) here on earth; they are as though captivated by the riches and pleasures they enjoy and are blind to the evils that hang over their heads.

Solomon promises that he will give a faithful and exact description of divine Wisdom and that neither envy or pride - both contrary to love - can prevent him from making known this heaven-sent knowledge, and he has not the least fear that anyone will surpass him or equal him in knowledge (cf. Wisd. 6:24-26).

Following the example of this great man, I am going, in my simple way, to portray eternal Wisdom before, during and after his incarnation and show by what means we can possess and keep him. But as I do not have Solomon's profound learning or his insights I have less to fear from pride and envy than from my incompetence and ignorance, which I trust, in your kindness, you will overlook.

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THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

CHAPTER 1. TO LOVE AND SEEK DIVINE WISDOM WE NEED TO KNOW HIM

1. Our need to acquire knowledge of divine Wisdom

Can we love someone we do not even know? Can we love deeply someone we know only vaguely? Why is Jesus, the adorable, eternal and incarnate Wisdom loved so little if not because he is either too little known or not known at all?

Hardly anyone studies the supreme science of Jesus, as did St. Paul (Eph. 3:19). And yet this is the most noble, the most consoling, the most useful and the most vital of all sciences and subjects in heaven and on earth.

First, it is the most noble of all sciences because its subject is the most noble and the most sublime: Wisdom uncreated and incarnate. He possesses in himself the fullness of divinity and humanity alike and all that is great in heaven and on earth, namely, all creatures visible and invisible, spiritual and corporal. St. John Chrysostom says that our Lord is the summary of all God's works, the epitome of all the perfections to be found in God and in his creatures (cf. Col. 1:16; 2:9).

"Jesus Christ is everything that you can and should wish for. Long for him, seek for him, because he is that unique and precious pearl for which you should be ready to sell everything you possess." "Let the wise man boast no more of his wisdom nor the strong man of his strength, nor the rich man of his wealth. But if anyone wants to boast, let him boast only of understanding and knowing me and nothing else (Jer. 9:23-24)."

Nothing is more consoling than to know divine Wisdom. Happy are those who listen to him; happier still are those who desire him and seek him; but happiest of all are those who keep his laws. Their hearts will be filled with that infinite consolation which is the joy and happiness of the eternal Father and the glory of the angels (cf. Prov. 2:1-9).

If only we knew the joy of a soul that perceives the beauty of divine Wisdom and is nourished with the milk of divine kindness, we would cry out with the bride in the Song of Songs: "Your love is better than wine" (Song 1:3) better by far than all created delights. This is especially true when divine Wisdom says to those who contemplate him, "Taste and see" (Ps. 33:9) eat and drink, be filled with my eternal sweetness (Song 5:1), for you will discover that conversing with me is in no way distasteful, that my companionship is never tedious and in me only will you find joy and contentment (Wisd. 8:16).

This knowledge of eternal Wisdom is not only the most noble and the most consoling of all, it is also the most useful and the most necessary since eternal life consists in knowing God and Jesus Christ, his Son (Jn. 17:3). Speaking to eternal Wisdom, the Wise man exclaims, "To know you is perfect righteousness and to know your justice and your power is the root of immortality" (Wisd. 15:3). If we really want to have eternal life let us learn all there is to know about eternal Wisdom.

If we wish to have roots of immortality deeply embedded in our heart we must have in our mind knowledge of eternal Wisdom. To know Jesus Christ incarnate Wisdom, is to know all we need. To presume to know everything and not know him is to know nothing at all.

Of what use is it for an archer to hit the outer part of a target if he cannot hit the centre? What good will it do us to know all the other branches of knowledge necessary for salvation if we do not learn the only essential one, the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, the centre towards which all the other branches of knowledge must tend? Although the great Apostle St. Paul was a man of such extensive knowledge and so well versed in human learning, still he said that he did not know anything except Jesus Christ and him nailed to a cross (1 Cor. 2:2).

Let us then say with him, "I count as loss all the knowledge I have prized so highly until now when I compare it to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Saviour" (Phil. 3:7-8). Now I see and understand that this knowledge is so excellent, so captivating, so profitable, so admirable that I no longer take any interest in other branches of knowledge that I used to like so much. Everything else is so meaningless, so absurd and a foolish waste of time. "I say this to make sure that no one deceives you with beguiling words. Make sure that no one ensnares you with empty, rational philosophy" (Col. 2:4,8). I state that Jesus is the abyss of all knowledge so that you do not let yourself be deceived by the fine, glowing words of orators or by the specious subtleties of philosophers. "Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).

That we may all grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, incarnate Wisdom, we are going to speak of him in the following chapters. But first, let us consider the different kinds of wisdom.


2. Definition and division of the subject

In the general sense of the term wisdom means a delectable knowledge, a taste for God and his truth.

There are several kinds of wisdom. First, true and false wisdom. True wisdom is a taste for truth without falsehood or deception. False wisdom is a taste for falsehood disguised as truth. This false wisdom is the wisdom or the prudence of the world, which the Holy Spirit divides into three classes: earthly, sensual, and diabolical.

True wisdom may be divided into natural and supernatural wisdom.

Natural wisdom is the knowledge, in an outstanding degree, of natural things in their principles.

Supernatural wisdom is knowledge of supernatural and divine things in their origin. This supernatural wisdom is divided into substantial or uncreated Wisdom, and accidental or created wisdom. Accidental or created wisdom is the communication that uncreated Wisdom makes of himself to mankind. In other words, it is the gift of wisdom. Substantial or uncreated Wisdom is the Son of God, the
second person of the most Blessed Trinity. In other words, it is eternal Wisdom in eternity or Jesus Christ in time.

It is precisely about this eternal Wisdom that we are going to speak.

Starting with his very origin, we shall consider Wisdom in eternity, dwelling in his Father's bosom and object of his Father's love.

Next, we shall see him in time, shining forth in the creation of the universe.

Then we shall consider him in the deep abasement of his incarnation and his mortal life; and then we shall see him glorious and triumphant in heaven.

Finally we shall propose the means to acquire and keep him.

I leave to philosophers their useless philosophical arguments and to scientists the secrets of their worldly
wisdom.

Let us now speak to chosen souls seeking perfection (1 Cor. 2:6) of true wisdom, eternal Wisdom, Wisdom uncreated and incarnate.

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THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

CHAPTER 2. ORIGIN AND EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

Here, with St. Paul, we must declare, "O the depth, the immensity and the incomprehensibility of the Wisdom of God" (Rom. 11:33): Generationem ejus quis enarrabit? (Is. 53:8; Acts 8:33). Who is the angel so enlightened, who is the man rash enough as to attempt to give us an adequate explanation of the origin of eternal Wisdom? For here all human beings must close their eyes so as not to be blinded by the vivid brightness of his light.

All should be silent for fear of tarnishing his perfect beauty by attempting to portray him. Every mind should realize its inadequacy and adore, lest in striving to fathom him, it be crushed by the tremendous weight of his glory.


1. Wisdom in reference to the Father

Adapting himself to our weakness, the Holy Spirit offers this description of eternal Wisdom in the Book of Wisdom which he composed just for us.

"Eternal Wisdom is a breath of the power of God, a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty. Hence nothing defiled gains entrance into him. He is the reflection of eternal light, the spotless mirror of God's majesty, the image of his goodness" (Wisd. 7:25,26).

He is the substantial and eternal idea of divine beauty which was shown to St. John the Evangelist in his ecstatic vision on the island of Patmos, when he exclaimed, "In the beginning was the Word - the Son of God, or eternal Wisdom - and the Word was in God and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1).

This is the eternal Wisdom of which Solomon often speaks in his book (cf. Sir. 1:4,8; 24:14) when he says that Wisdom was created - that is, produced - from the very beginning before anything was made or even before the beginning of time.

Speaking of himself, Wisdom says, "I was begotten from eternity, before the creation of the world. The depths did not exist as yet and I was already conceived" (Prov. 8:23,24).

God the Father was well pleased with the sovereign beauty of eternal Wisdom, his Son, throughout time and eternity, as he himself explicitly testified on the day of his Son's baptism and his transfiguration, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 17:5; cf. Mt. 3:17. Cf. Nos. 55, 98). This splendour of dazzling and incomprehensible light of which the apostles caught a glimpse in the Transfiguration, filled them with delight and lifted them to the heights of ecstasy:

Illustre quiddam (cernimus)
Sublime, celsum, interminum,
Antiquius caelo et chao:

This eternal Wisdom is
Something resplendent,
Sublime, immense, and infinite,
More ancient than the universe.

My words fail to give even the faintest idea of his beauty and supreme gentleness, and fall infinitely short of his excellence: for who can ever form an adequate idea of him? Who could ever portray him faithfully? You alone, great God, know who he is and can reveal him to all you wish (cf. Mt. 11:27; Lk. 10:22).


2. The activity of Eternal Wisdom in souls

This is how divine Wisdom himself describes in the twenty-fourth chapter of Ecclesiasticus the effects of his activity in souls. I shall not mingle my poor words with his for fear of diminishing their clarity and sublime meaning.

1. Wisdom will sing her own praises. She will be honoured in the Lord and will proclaim his glory before his own people.

2. In the assembly of the Most High she will open her mouth; she will glorify herself in the armies of the Lord.

3. She will be raised up in the midst of her own people and will be admired in the assembly of all the saints.

4. In the multitude of the elect she will be praised and will be blessed by those who are blessed by God. She will say:

5. 1 came forth from the mouth of the Most High; I was born before all creatures.

6. 1 made an unquenchable light appear in the sky and I covered the whole earth like a mist.

7. 1 had my dwelling in the heights and my throne was in a pillar of cloud.

8. Alone I compassed the vault of heaven; I penetrated into the depths of the abyss; I walked on the waves of the sea,

9. and travelled all over the earth.

10. 1 held sway over every people and every nation.

11. By my power I have trodden underfoot the hearts of all men, great and small; and among all these things I searched for a resting-place and a dwelling in the heritage of the Lord.

12. Then the Creator of the universe commanded me and spoke to me: he who created me rested in my tent.

13. And he said to me: "Dwell in Jacob, let Israel be your heritage, and take root in my elect."

14. In the beginning, before all ages, he created me and through the ages I shall never cease to be, and in the holy tabernacle I ministered before him.

15. 1 fixed my abode in Sion; I found rest in the holy City, and Jerusalem became my domain.

16. 1 took root in the people whom the Lord had honoured, whose heritage is the portion of the Lord. I fixed my abode in the assembly of all the saints.

17. Like a cedar on Lebanon and like a cypress on Mount Sion I have grown tall.

18. 1 raised my branches high like a palm-tree in Engedi and like the rose-bushes of Jericho.

19. 1 grew tall like a beautiful olive-tree in the field,like a plane-tree planted along the road near the water.

20. 1 gave forth fragrance like cinnamon or the most precious balm; I gave forth perfume like the most exquisite myrrh.

21. 1 have filled my house with sweet fragrance as of galbanum, onycha, myrrh and with the sweet smell of incense; I exude the scent of the purest balm.

22. 1 spread out my branches like a terebinth and my branches are glorious and graceful.

23. 1 have grown sweet-smelling flowers like the vine; my blossoms are the fruits of glory and wealth.

24. 1 am the mother of pure love, of fear, of knowledge and of holy hope.

25. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth; in me is all hope of life and strength.

26. Come to me, all you who desire for me, and be filled with my fruits.

27. For my spirit is sweeter than honey and my inheritance more delightful than the sweetest honeycomb.

28. My renown will endure down through the ages.

29. Those who eat of me will hunger for more; those who drink of me will thirst for more.

30. Those who listen to me will not be put to shame; those who work with me will not sin.

31. Those who make me known will possess eternal life.

32. All this is the book of life, the covenant of the Most High, and the knowledge of the truth."


Eternal Wisdom compares himself to all these trees and plants, characterised by their varied fruits and qualities which illustrate the great variety of states, functions and virtues of privileged souls. These resemble cedars by the loftiness of their hearts raised up towards heaven, or cypress trees by their constant meditation on death. They resemble palm-trees by their humble endurance of labour, or rose-bushes by martyrdom and the shedding of their blood. They resemble plane-trees planted along river banks, or terebinths with their branches spread out wide, signifying their great love for their fellow-men. They resemble all the other less noticeable but fragrant plants like balm, myrrh and others which symbolise all those retiring souls who prefer to be known by God more than by man.

Divine Wisdom shows himself to be the mother and source of all good and he exhorts all men to give up everything and desire him alone. Because, as St Augustine says, "he gives himself only to those who desire him and seek him with all the zeal such a lofty aim deserves."

In verses 30 and 31 divine Wisdom lists three degrees in holy living, the last of which constitutes perfection:

(1) Listen to God with humble submission;

(2) Act in him and through him with persevering fidelity;

(3) Seek to acquire the light and unction you need to inspire others with that love for Wisdom which will lead them to eternal life.

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THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

CHAPTER 3. THE MARVELOUS POWER OF DIVINE WISDOM SHOWN IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND MAN

1. In the creation of the world

Eternal Wisdom began to manifest himself outside the bosom of God the Father when, after a whole eternity, he made light, heaven and earth. St John tells us that everything was made through the Word, that is eternal Wisdom: "All things were made by him" (Jn. 1:3; cf. Heb. 1:2; Col. 1:16-17). Solomon says that eternal Wisdom is the mother and maker of all things. Notice that Solomon does not call him simply the maker of the universe but also its mother because the maker does not love and care for the work of his hands like a mother does for her child (Wisd. 7: 12,21).

After creating all things, eternal Wisdom abides in them to contain, maintain and renew them (Wisd. 1:7; 7:27). It was this supremely perfect beauty who, after creating the universe, established the magnificent order we find there. He it was who separated, arranged, evaluated, augmented and calculated everything. He spread out the skies; he set the sun, the moon, the stars and the planets in perfect order. He laid the foundations of the earth and assigned limits and laws to the sea and depths to the ocean. He raised mountains and gave moderation to all things even to the springs of water. Finally, he says, "I was with God and I disposed everything with such perfect precision and such pleasing variety that it was like playing a game to entertain my Father and myself" (Prov. 8:30-31).

This mysterious game of divine Wisdom is clearly seen in the great variety of all he created. Apart from considering the different species of angels whose number is well-nigh infinite, and the varied brightness of the stars and the different temperaments of men, we are filled with wonderment at the changes we see in the seasons and the weather, at the variety of instincts in animals, at the different species of plants, at the diversified beauty of the flowers and the different tastes of the fruits. "Let him who is wise understand these things" (Hos. 14:10; cf. Jer. 9:12; Ps. 106:43). Who is the one to whom eternal Wisdom has communicated his wisdom? That person alone will understand these mysteries of nature.

Eternal Wisdom has revealed these things to the saints, as we learn from their biographies. At times they were so astonished at the beauty, the harmony and the order that God has put into the smallest things, such as a bee, an ant, an ear of corn, a flower, a worm, that they were carried away in rapture and ecstasy.


2. In the creation of man

If the power and gentleness of eternal Wisdom were so luminously evident in the creation, the beauty and order of the universe, they shone forth far more brilliantly in the creation of man. For man is his supreme masterpiece, the living image of his beauty and his perfection, the great vessel of his graces, the wonderful treasury of his wealth and in a unique way his representative on earth. "By your wisdom you appointed man to have dominion over every creature you made" (Wisd. 9:2).

For the glory of this magnificent and powerful Worker I must describe the original beauty and excellence of man as created by divine Wisdom. But the state of man's grievous sin has fallen upon me, poor miserable child of Eve, dulling my understanding to the point that I can describe only very imperfectly the work of man's creation.

We might say that eternal Wisdom made copies, that is, shining likenesses of his own intelligence, memory, and will, and infused them into the soul of man so that he might become the living image of the Godhead. In man's heart he enkindled the fire of the pure love of God. He gave him a radiant body and virtually enshrined within him a compendium of all the various perfections of angels, animals, and other created things.

Man's entire being was bright without shadow, beautiful without blemish, pure without stain, perfectly proportioned without deformity, flaw, or imperfection. His mind, gifted with the light of wisdom, understood perfectly both Creator and creature. The grace of God was in his soul making him innocent and pleasing to the most High God. His body was endowed with immortality. He had the pure love of God in his heart without any fear of death, for he loved God ceaselessly, without wavering and purely for God himself. In short, man was so godlike, so absorbed and rapt in God that he had no unruly passions to subdue and no enemies to overcome.

Such was the generosity shown to man by eternal Wisdom and such was the happiness that man enjoyed in his state of innocence.

But, alas, the vessel of the Godhead was shattered into a thousand pieces. This beautiful star fell from the skies. This brilliant sun lost its light. Man sinned, and by his sin lost his wisdom, his innocence, his beauty, his immortality. In a word, he lost all the good things he was given and found himself burdened with a host of evils. His mind was darkened and impaired. His heart turned cold towards the God he no longer loved. His sin-stained soul resembled Satan himself. The passions were in disorder; he was no longer master of himself. His only companions are the devils who have made him their slave and their abode. Even creatures have risen up in warfare against him.

In a single instant, man became the slave of demons, the object of God's anger (Cf. Eph. 2:3), the prey of the powers of hell.

He became so hideous in his own sight that he hid himself for shame. He was cursed and condemned to death. He was driven from the earthly paradise and excluded from heaven. With no hope of future happiness, he was doomed to eke out a pitiable life upon an earth under curse (cf. Gen. 3:10; 17:23; 4:11,12). He would eventually die like a criminal and after death, together with all his posterity, share the devil's damnation in body and soul.

Such was the frightful calamity which befell man when he sinned. Such was the well-deserved sentence God in his justice pronounced against him.

Seeing himself in such a plight, Adam came close to despair. He could not hope for help from angels or any of God's creatures. Nothing could restore his privileges because he had been so eminently fair, so very magnificently fashioned when he was created, and now by his sin he had become so hideous, so repulsive. He saw himself banished from Paradise and from the presence of God. He could see God's justice pursuing him in all his descendants. He saw heaven closed and no one to open it; he saw hell open and no one to close it.

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THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

CHAPTER 4. MARVELS OF WISDOM'S GOODNESS AND MERCY BEFORE HIS INCARNATION

Eternal Wisdom was deeply moved by the plight of Adam and all his descendants. He was profoundly distressed at seeing his vessel of honour shattered, his image torn to pieces, his masterpiece destroyed, his representative in this world overthrown.

He listened tenderly to man's sighs and entreaties and he was moved with compassion when he saw the sweat of his brow, the tears in his eyes, the fatigue of his arms, his sadness of heart, his affliction of soul.


1. The Incarnation is decreed

I seem to see this lovable Sovereign convoking and assembling the most holy Trinity, a second time, so to speak, for the purpose of rehabilitating man in the state he formerly created him (cf. Gen. 1:26). We can picture a kind of contest going on in this grand council between eternal Wisdom and God's justice. I seem to hear eternal Wisdom, in his plea on behalf of man, admit that because of his sin man and all his descendants deserve to be condemned and to spend all eternity with the rebel angels.

Still, man should be pitied because he sinned more through ignorance and weakness than through malice. He points out that it would be a pity if such an exquisite masterpiece were to become the slave of the devil for ever, and millions upon millions of men were to be lost eternally, through the sin of only one man. Besides, eternal Wisdom draws attention to the places left vacant by the fall of the apostate angels. Would it not be fitting to fill these places? And would not God receive great glory in time and in eternity if man were saved? It seems to me that I hear the God of justice replying that the sentence of death and eternal damnation has been pronounced against man and his descendants, and it must be carried out without pardon or mercy, just as happened in the case of Lucifer and his followers. Man has shown himself ungrateful for the gifts he received, has followed the devil in pride and disobedience and should therefore follow him in his punishment, for sin must necessarily be punished.

Eternal Wisdom seeing that nothing on earth can expiate man's sin, that nothing can satisfy divine justice and appease God's anger and still, wishing to save unfortunate man whom he cannot help loving, finds a wonderful way of accomplishing this.

Wonder of wonders! With boundless and incomprehensible love, this tender-hearted Lord offers to comply with his justice, to calm the divine anger, to rescue us from the slavery of the devil and from the flames of hell, and to merit for us eternal happiness.

His offer is accepted; a decision is reached and made. Eternal Wisdom, the Son of God, will become man at a suitable time and in determined circumstances. For about four thousand years - from the creation of the world and Adam's sin until the Incarnation of divine Wisdom - Adam and his descendants were subject to death, just as God had decreed. But in view of the Incarnation of the Son of God, they received the graces they needed to obey his commandments and do salutary penance for any they might have transgressed. If they died in the state of grace and in God's friendship, their souls went to Limbo, there to await their Saviour and Deliverer who would open the gates of heaven for them.


2. The time before the Incarnation

During the whole time preceding his Incarnation, eternal Wisdom proved in a thousand ways his friendship for men and his great desire to bestow his favors on them and to converse with them. "My delight is to be with the children of men" (Prov. 8:31). He went about seeking those worthy of him (Wisd. 6:16), that is those worthy of his friendship, his precious gifts, his very person. He passed through different nations, making them prophets and friends of God (Wisd. 7:27; cf. 7:14). He it was who instructed all the holy patriarchs, all the friends of God, all the saints and prophets of the old and new testaments (Wisd. 7). This same Wisdom inspired men of God and spoke by the mouths of the prophets. He directed their ways and enlightened them in their doubts. He upheld them in their weakness and freed them from all harm. This is how the Holy Spirit tells it in the tenth chapter of the Book of Wisdom (Wisd. 10:1-21).

1. It was Wisdom who safeguarded Adam, the first man, created alone to be the father of all men.

2. He rescued him from his sin and gave him power to control and rule over all things.

3. When the sinful Cain in anger withdrew from Wisdom, he perished because through his fury he became the murderer of his brother.

4. When the Deluge flooded the earth, because of him, it was Wisdom again who saved it, piloting the just man Noah in a frail wooden ark.

5. When the nations conspired together to do evil, Wisdom discerned the just man, Abraham, preserved him in innocence before God and kept him resolute in overcoming the pity he felt for his son, Isaac.

6. Wisdom rescued the righteous man, Lot, when he fled from the company of wicked men who perished as fire descended upon the Five Cities.

7. Evidence of their wickedness still remains - a smoking wasteland, plants bearing fruit that never ripen, and a pillar of salt standing as a monument to an unbelieving soul.

8. For those who neglected to see Wisdom were not only kept from knowledge of good, but they also left to mankind a memorial of their folly, and so their crime could never remain hidden.

9. But Wisdom delivered those who served him from all evils.

10. When the just man Jacob fled from the wrath of his brother Esau, Wisdom guided him along straight paths and showed him the kingdom of God. God gave him knowledge of holy things, prospered him in his labours and increased the fruits of his work.

11. He stood by him against the greed of defrauders and made him rich.

12. He protected him from his enemies and saved him from seducers. He gave him victory in his arduous struggle so that he might know that Wisdom is mightier than anything.

13. He did not abandon Joseph, the just man, when he was old, but delivered him from the hands of sinners and went down with him into the well.

14. He did not desert him in his chains until he brought him the scepter of royalty and authority over his oppressors. He showed those who had defamed him to be liars and gave him an eternal renown.

15. He liberated a holy people and a blameless race, the Hebrews, from a nation of oppressors.

16. He entered the soul of God's servant, Moses, and withstood fearsome kings with signs and wonders.

17. He gave the holy ones the reward of their labours, led them along a perfect way, and became a shelter for them by day and shed a starry light upon them by night.

18. He brought them across the Red Sea and led them through the deep waters.

19. He submerged their enemies in the sea and gathered his own people up from the depths of the sea. Thus he carried off the spoils of the wicked.

20. They extolled you in their songs, O Lord, and together praised your conquering hand.

21. For Wisdom opened the mouths of the dumb and made the tongues of the babes speak with fluency. In the next chapter of the Book of Wisdom (Wisd. 11) the Holy Spirit describes the various evils from which eternal Wisdom delivered Moses and the Israelites during the time they lived in the desert. To this we may add those who were delivered from great dangers by eternal Wisdom in the Old and New Testaments. Among them were Daniel who was freed from the lions' den, Susanna from the false crime she was accused of, the three young men from the furnace in Babylon, St Peter from prison, St John from the cauldron of boiling oil and numberless martyrs and confessors from the physical torments they were made to suffer and the calumnies which blackened their good name. All these were delivered and healed by eternal Wisdom. "O Lord, those who have pleased you from the beginning were healed by Wisdom (Wisd. 9:19).


Conclusion

And now let us proclaim: "A thousand times happy is the man into whose soul Wisdom has entered to have his abode! No matter what battles he has to wage, he will emerge victorious. No matter what dangers threaten him, he will escape unharmed. No matter what sorrows afflict him, he will find joy and consolation. No matter what humiliations are heaped upon him, he will be exalted and glorified in time and throughout eternity."