The Wisdom of God

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1 1 Corinthians 3:18-23

Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:

God catches the wise in their own ruses,

and again:

The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
 

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
 

Alleluia Matthew 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
 

Gospel Luke 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them. 
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
 

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The Wisdom of God

September 3, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23

Reflect on the Word // 

Exhausted, my husband and I headed into the dark, empty parking lot of the dentist’s office and buckled our son into the backseat. It wasn’t the way we’d planned to spend the evening: an emergency extraction of our little boy’s front baby teeth after a faceplant onto our hardwood floors. I was worried about how traumatic it all must have been for him. 

“You were so brave,” I said softly. “You didn’t even cry. I’m proud of you.”

He nodded, looking out the window. Struggling to form words with his still-numb mouth, he said matter-of-factly, “I offered it for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.”

Oh, the wisdom of children.

They are so close to God, so simple, so “uncluttered.” They see the supernatural, I think, more than we realize. And in moments of clarity, we get to see their vast, bright inner world when we pay close attention. They are windows into the holy simplicity of God Himself—and they remind us of His original relationship with us. 

That’s why Saint Paul warns against the “wisdom of this world” (1 Corinthians 3:19). What looks smart and proactive and well-researched and forward-thinking? If it’s not aligned with the mind of God, it’s all nothing. 

And in order to be rightly ordered before Him, the first thing we need to do is remember that we don’t know much at all. Humility, humility, humility: “let him become a fool, so as to become wise” (1 Corinthians 3:19).

It’s the reason Saints like Thérèse of Lisieux offer us a path to holiness that mirrors childhood. Her Little Way is the ultimate alternative to worldly wisdom. Instead, she proposes complete trust and radical dependence on God, centered on knowledge of our own smallness and the immenseness of His love. 

Worldly knowledge can be valuable when put in the service of the kingdom. But chasing after knowledge for its own sake or believing that true maturity means being somehow “greater” than others is a dead end. Rather, real wisdom is embracing the smallness of spiritual humility. We are invited today to remind ourselves of our own poverty and need for God, Who loves us tenderly and whispers when we accept our littleness, I’m proud of you

Relate to the Lord // Read those words again from the heart of God for you: I’m proud of you.

Partager:

Before You Go…

Here are a few more posts you might love:

For this Purpose
All His Works
With Fear and Trembling
Witness to Truth
Practicing Praise as an Instrument of God
Stay Awake!
Beneath the Surface