Your Eminences,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
What is this wisdom born in Bethlehem? I would like to ask
myself and all of you this question during this traditional
pre-Christmas meeting with the University world of Rome. Today,
instead of Holy Mass, we are celebrating Vespers, and to mark
the felicitous coincidence with the beginning of the Christmas
novena we will soon be singing the first of the "Greater
Antiphons": "O Wisdom from the mouth of the Most High, you fill
the whole world. With strength and gentleness you order all
things: come to teach us the way of prudence" (Liturgy of the
Hours, Vespers of 17 December).
This wonderful invocation is addressed to "Wisdom", the central
figure in the Books of Proverbs, Wisdom and Sirach. These are in
fact called the "Sapiential" Books, and in them the Christian
tradition discerns a prefiguration of Christ. This invocation
becomes truly stimulating and even provocative when we find
ourselves before the Nativity scene that is, before the paradox
of a Wisdom that "from the mouth of the Most High" comes to lie
in swaddling cloths in a manger (cf. Luke 2: 7, 12, 16).
Already we can anticipate the response to that initial question:
the One born in Bethlehem is the Wisdom of God. St. Paul, in
writing to the Corinthians, uses the phrase: "a hidden wisdom of
God" (1 Cor 2: 7): in other words, a divine plan, which has long
been kept hidden and that God himself has revealed in the
history of salvation. In the fullness of time, this Wisdom took
on a human Face, the Face of Jesus, who as recited in the
Apostle's Creed "was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the
Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died
and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the
right hand of the God the Father Almighty; from hence he shall
come to judge the living and the dead".
The Christian paradox consists precisely in the identification
of divine Wisdom, that is the eternal Logos, with the man Jesus
of Nazareth and with his story. A solution to this paradox
cannot be found if not in the word "Love", which naturally in
this case is written with a capital "L", in reference to a Love
that infinitely exceeds human and historical dimensions.
Therefore, the Wisdom that we invoke this evening is the Son of
God, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. It is the Word
who, as we read in John's prologue, "was in the beginning with
God", or rather, "was God": who with the Father and the Holy
Spirit created all things and who "became flesh" to reveal the
God whom no one can ever see (cf. Jn 1: 2-3, 14, 18).
Dear friends, a Christian professor, or a young Christian
student, carries within him a passionate love for this Wisdom!
He reads everything in her light; he finds Wisdom's imprints in
the elementary particles and in the verses of poets; in
juridical codes and in the events of history; in works of art
and in mathematic formulas. Without Wisdom not anything was made
that was made (cf. Jn 1: 3) and therefore in every created
reality one can see Wisdom reflected, clearly visible in
different ways and degrees. Everything understood by human
intelligence can be grasped because in some sense and to a
certain extent it participates in creative Wisdom. Herein lies,
in the last analysis, the very potential of study, of research,
of scientific dialogue in every field of knowledge.
At this point I cannot omit to reflect on something a bit
disquieting but nevertheless useful for us here who belong to
the academic world. Let us ask ourselves: who was present on
Christmas night at the grotto in Bethlehem? Who welcomed Wisdom
when he was born? Who hurried to see him, to recognize him and
adore him? They were not doctors of law, scribes or sages. There
were Mary and Joseph, and then the shepherds. What does this
mean?
Jesus was one day to say: "Yes, Father, for such was your
gracious will" (Mt 11: 26); you revealed your mystery to the
little ones (cf. Mt 11: 25). But then is there no use in
studying? Or is it even harmful counterproductive in
understanding the truth?
The two thousand-year-old history of Christianity excludes the
latter hypothesis, and suggests to us the correct one: studying
entails deepening one's knowledge while maintaining a spirit
similar to the "little ones," an ever humble and simple spirit,
like that of Mary, the "Seat of Wisdom". How often have we been
afraid to draw near to the Grotto in Bethlehem for fear that
doing so would be an obstacle to our critical sense and to our
"modernity"!
Rather, in that Grotto, each of us can discover the truth about
God and about humanity, about ourselves. In that Child, born of
the Virgin, the two came together: mankind's longing for eternal
life softened the heart of God, who was not ashamed to assume
the human condition.
Dear friends, helping others to see the true Face of God is the
first form of love, which for you takes on the role of
intellectual charity. I was glad to learn that the diocesan
university ministry's programme will have "The Eucharist and
Intellectual Charity" as its theme this year: a demanding but
appropriate choice. Indeed, in every Eucharistic Celebration God
enters history in Jesus Christ in his Word and in his Body,
giving himself in that love which enables us to serve humanity
in its concrete existence.
The project "One culture for the city", then, offers a promising
proposal of the Christian presence in the cultural sphere. As I
express the hope that your itinerary may be fruitful, I cannot
fail to invite all the Athenaeums to be places of formation for
authentic workers of intellectual charity. The future of society
depends largely on them, above all in drawing up a new
humanistic synthesis and of a new vision for the future (cf.
Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, n. 21).
I encourage all of the heads of academic institutions to
continue to collaborate in the construction of a community in
which all young people may develop into mature human beings who
hold themselves responsible for the creation of a "civilization
of love".
At the conclusion of this Celebration, the Australian university
student delegation will consign the Icon of Mary Sedes
Sapientiae to the delegation from Africa. Let us entrust to the
Most Holy Virgin all university students on the African
continent; following the Special Synod for Africa, the
cooperative commitment has been developing in these months
between the Athenaeums of Rome and those in Africa.
I renew my encouragement of this new prospect of collaboration,
and I hope it may lead to the creation and growth of cultural
projects capable of promoting a truly integral human
development. May this Christmas, dear friends, bring joy and
hope to you, your families and to the entire university
environment, in Rome and throughout the whole world.
© L'Osservatore Romano
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