Wisdom

This is from Sirach which, for non-Catholics, is an apocryphal book. A shame really because it is one of the best things in the Bible. Sirach is discussing wisdom today.

 I've added some emphasis:

He who loves her loves life;
those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.
He who holds her fast inherits glory;
wherever he dwells, the LORD bestows blessings.
Those who serve her serve the Holy One;
those who love her the LORD loves.
He who obeys her judges nations;
he who hearkens to her dwells in her inmost chambers.
If one trusts her, he will possess her;
his descendants too will inherit her.
She walks with him as a stranger
and at first she puts him to the test;
Fear and dread she brings upon him
and tries him with her discipline
until she try him by her laws and trust his soul.
Then she comes back to bring him happiness
and reveal her secrets to them
and she will heap upon him
treasures of knowledge and an understanding of justice.

Well I would point out the sexual connotations wouldn't I?  But that isn't my main point. My main point is that the sexual metaphors are just the climaxes, if you'll pardon the expression, of the overall story here which is very much an allusion to courtly, romantic love. The winning of God's wisdom is like courting a woman of courtly stature and, as the crude boys put it, the story can have a happy ending.

I've been thinking about my Lenten reading. Anyway, today's first reading confirms me in my decision (to be revealed later).