Week of Proper 2, Year Two
[Go to Mission St Clare for an online version of the Daily Office including today’s scripture readings.]
Today’s Readings for the Daily Office:
Psalms 1, 2, 3 (morning) // 4, 5 (evening)
Proverbs 3:11-20
1 John 3:18-4:6
Matthew 11:1-6
One of the students in my late medieval history class this year was a business major, who decided to take a history class during his last semester of college. Several business-school behaviors made him conspicuous among a sea of humanities majors: He took time to introduce himself and shake my hand at the beginning of the semester, he always sat in the front row, he asked in advance about the format of tests, and he turned in his papers with fancy cover-sheets. (Even history majors who receive excellent grades tend to sit in the back half of the room, sometimes silently. I guess that’s the ethos of our discipline!)
I thought of this student today when reading our passage from Proverbs. As a business student with a determined attitude, he’s likely to have a prosperous career. But he also has an interest in learning that might even deepen his joy in life. As the Scripture says, “Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold.”
There’s a lot of chatter during this season of graduations about the economic value (or lack thereof) of a college degree. An even better conversation might address what paths will bring us life-giving wisdom rather than income-generating certifications. What combination of experience and reflection, of curiosity and focus, will bring us joy, heath, and peace? That’s the curriculum we should be searching for and promoting to one another.
Lora Walsh blogs about taking risks and seeking grace at A Daily Scandal. She serves as Priest Associate of Grace Episcopal Church in Siloam Springs and assists with adult formation and campus ministry at St. Paul’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas.