God's wisdom and Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska

 (Scripture taken from Sunday, October 10 Mass Readings)

Happy feast day of Blessed Mary Angela! 

This is a Felician perspective on today’s Mass readings, a connection to the founding spirit of our congregation, Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska’s legacy of spiritual guidance, to these Scripture readings.

 In reflecting upon them, I saw the common thread of wisdom, starting with a selection from the Book of Wisdom and continuing into the other readings. I’ve always loved the wisdom literature, especially the Book of Wisdom. The search for wisdom has been a big part of my journey, as I move from head to heart, towards what really matters.

Blessed Mary Angela was a wise woman, who knew that true wisdom meant doing God’s will. Today’s Responsorial Psalm says, “Teach us to number our ways aright, so we can gain wisdom of heart.” Union with Christ is achieved through God’s wisdom, by discerning and carrying out His will. The splendor of wisdom that is described in the first reading is God’s own splendor, shared with us.

 It also says in the second reading, “The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow…”  God’s will can be challenging, a personal sacrifice that changes everything. Acknowledging this, Blessed Mary Angela prayed for the grace to be ready for anything and encouraged her sisters to do the same. She knew that the movement from head to heart was a journey away from our own preconceived notions so we can move God’s way instead.

Today’s Gospel reading supports this. St. Peter says to Jesus, “We have given up everything to follow you.” And Jesus tells the man in the Gospel: “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have and give to the poor.” This was hard for the man, who was holding onto his wealth. We are all called to make personal sacrifices, to hold onto nothing for ourselves, and keep nothing from God. The man came seeking wise counsel: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” And he received it. It just wasn’t what he was expecting—nor was it welcome—but it was exactly what he needed to hear. God’s ways are not our ways, and His will is often surprising.

We learn God’s will through discernment. Blessed Mary Angela opened herself to it three ways, growing in wisdom through what she learned. The first was through prayer, which she valued and exhorted her sisters to. She also found the will of God in current situations, identifying the needs of those involved and her role in it. She was reading the signs of the times before everyone was talking about it! The third way was through spiritual direction, by seeking the counsel of others. Even as foundress and Superior, she still reached out for help, finding God’s wisdom through her vow of obedience. She consulted spiritual directors, taking their advice as signs of God’s will for her spiritual life and that of the congregation. The vow of obedience that she made to Blessed Honorat was her way of seeking that.

Jesus’ example in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross inspired Blessed Mary Angela to be obedient to God in all circumstances. She resolved to carry the cross of Christ so she could have the grace and strength to fulfill God’s will. For her, the purpose of religious life was personal sanctification, perfection and union with God through a closer imitation of Christ and observance of evangelical counsels. Obedience, then, was the essence of religious life. She submitted to God’s will, seeking to please Him above all things.

Today’s readings extoll wisdom. Blessed Mary Angela sought and found that in God’s will. Her love of God inspired both wisdom and action, discernment and charity.