“The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing life; the precepts of the Lord are enduring, giving wisdom to the simple.” (Psalm 19:7)
The psalmist affirms that the instruction or teaching of the Lord (in Hebrew, “torah”), which is preserved in Scripture, provides an inexhaustible source of renewal and sustenance for God’s people whenever they turn to its pages.
The psalm also hints that there are basically two ways to go through life. The first is to proceed by trial and error, making mistakes and painfully unlearning those mistakes, and thus slowly groping towards a hard-earned wisdom. The second way is simply to do what’s right because it’s God’s will, leaning on the precepts of the Lord as a sure guide to the vagaries and challenges that life throws one’s way.
As I look back on my schooling, I count myself blessed to have studied with some brilliant minds that broke open the Word of God for me. Outside of the classroom, I have also sat at the feet of great teachers or witnesses with little formal education that radiated spirituality and imparted “the wisdom entrusted to the simple.” As I recall all of these wisdom figures with gratitude, I stand in awe of how Scripture is deeper than all our human striving and knowledge yet at the same time remains near at hand and accessible to humble souls that seek His face.
As we join the Holy Father in prayer this month, let us turn to the Word as our compass and daily bread, which faithfully guides and sustains us along the pilgrim highways that lead to our heavenly home.
Fr. Joseph Riordan, S.J.
Fr. Joseph is an Old Testament scholar and the president of Campion College in Regina, province of Saskatchewan, Canada. campioncollege.ca