Votive Mass of Mary, Seat of Wisdom

Mary is the Seat of Wisdom, because the Child sitting in her lap is the Son of God, the Wisdom of God made visible. 

What do we know about wisdom?  During the past week while sorting through the papers left behind by Fr. Jonah, I came upon one that he had copied from a book by Robert Fulgrum titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarden”.  Robert writes: “Share everything, play fair, don’t hit people, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, don’t take things that aren’t yours, say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody, wash your hands before you eat…”  The list continues with many more bits of wisdom. Is he right about kindergarten?  Yes, because kindergarten provides the building blocks for our physical, social and emotional development, as well as the basics of language, literacy, thinking and cognitive skills. 

But there’s one word of wisdom you won’t find in Robert’s list.  It comes from Mary, the Seat of Wisdom, the very Mother of Wisdom, who kept all the words of Jesus in her heart.  She spoke very little, but what she said is a rule of life for all humanity: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). 

How different life would be if Adam and Eve had followed that rule!  May we be so fortunate to as follow Mary’s rule of life, obeying God in all things as she did, saying, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.”