Easter 2026 - Reading #42 - Wisdom
Reading
Thomas Aquinas places wisdom at the summit of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: "Wisdom is the highest of the gifts, because it considers the highest cause, God himself. By this gift, the soul judges all things according to divine truth, not by a process of reasoning, but by a kind of connaturality or sympathy with divine things. The wise man does not merely know about God; he tastes God. The very word 'wisdom' (sapientia) comes from 'sapor', taste."
Aquinas explains: "While the gift of understanding penetrates to the heart of divine truths, the gift of wisdom judges and orders all things, both divine and human, in the light of those truths. It is the gift that sees all of creation from God's point of view. The wise person does not merely know that God exists; they see everything that exists as related to God, ordered by God, and sustained by God."
For Aquinas, wisdom is the gift that integrates all the others into a single, harmonious vision. It is the capstone of the spiritual edifice, the gift that transforms knowledge into contemplation and understanding into joy. The wise person is not merely informed about God but united with God in a communion of love that transforms everything they see and do.
Reflection
The final week. Seven days to Pentecost. And the crown of all the gifts is placed before us: wisdom. Not the wisdom of the world, cleverness, sophistication, the ability to navigate complex systems for personal advantage. But the wisdom of God, the capacity to see all things as God sees them, to taste the divine goodness in every created thing, to judge rightly not by calculation but by love.
Aquinas makes a startling etymological point: wisdom (sapientia) comes from sapor, taste. Wisdom is not primarily an act of the mind but an act of the whole person. It is not knowing about God's goodness but tasting it. The wise person has not merely studied the menu; they have eaten the meal. They know God not at a distance but from within, from the inside of a relationship so intimate that it transforms their entire way of seeing.
This is the gift toward which the entire Easter season has been building. Fear of the Lord opened the door to God's presence. Piety drew us into his family. Knowledge showed us the world in his light. Fortitude gave us his strength. Counsel gave us his guidance. Understanding admitted us into the depth of his mysteries. And now wisdom crowns everything with the experience of his goodness, not as an idea but as a taste, a flavor, a savor that permeates everything and makes everything new. This week, prepare for Pentecost. Prepare for fire. Prepare to receive the gift that changes everything.