“Open wide the eyes of my soul that I may see good in all things.”
-Phillips Brooks in Forward Movement
She (Wisdom) pervades and permeates all things (Wisdom 7:24).
Reading and Reflecting
Read chapter 2 of A Star in My Heart by Joyce Rupp.
In chapter 2, Joyce Rupp introduces the idea of “Sophia moments.” These are often times that are brief yet clear, like an ah-ha moment where there is clarity and a deeper meaning in the experience.
When have you had a “Sophia moment?”
Wisdom takes us inward to make connections. She uses our intuitive gifts in a reflective process to help us see both far and deep.
Sophia has “far-seeing eyes” and she perceives and senses into the deep dwelling places of God.
What are your intuitive/natural gifts? How might you let them reveal God’s inner dwelling in you?
On p. 18 Joyce writes about being “bound and interconnected to all creatures and elements of the earth because I, too, am made of matter and energy as they are.”
In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Robin Kimmerer, a botanist, professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, says, “If one tree fruits, they all fruit-there are no soloists. Not one tree in a grove, but the whole grove; not one grove in the forest, but every grove; all across the country and all across the state. The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. Exactly how they do this, we don’t yet know. But what we see is the power of unity. What happens to one happens to us all. We can starve together or feast together. All flourishing is mutual” (p. 15).
Wisdom is a “dot-connector.” (from group discussion on May 19)
How do you weave the universe together?
Where has Wisdom connected dots for you that surprised you?
How do you see matter and energy connecting us all?
Thomas Merton describes this connectedness with the universe as “the mysterious cosmic dance.” “It is the vibrant energy of life that surges through us and through everything that exists” (Rupp, pg. 19-20).
How would you describe this “cosmic dance?”
Where has it joined you with the greater world we live in?
in this chapter, Joyce uses different images to describe wisdom’s actions: the erasing footprints in the snow, a well, and a pond.
What is your own image of Sophia/wisdom?
Scripture for the Week
Proverbs 2:9-11
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path,
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 prudence will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you.
Righteousness, justice, equity, knowledge, prudence, understanding – which of these do you most long for?
Practice this Week
Read the daily news – either in print or online. How connected and bonded in compassion are you to the people and events you find there? Spend some time praying for them, non-judgmentally.
Each day this week, pay attention to one of your senses – sound, sight, smell, taste, touch. What do you learn about your day through this sense? Which sense do you least pay attention to in your normal routine? Should you be paying more attention to it?
Reflect on Sophia “at play” everywhere. Envision the cosmic dance going on in you and in all creation. Image and sense your participation in this wonderful dance. Take paints or colors and draw a mandala of the cosmic dance within you and within all the universe.
Practices from Rupp’s book. pgs 25-26
The Wisdom Years 