Wisdom Circles – March 2015Wisdom Transforms – CompetitionSuffering: Dying Freely – Living Fully

The Way of Wisdom

Years ago when the Daughters of Wisdom began studying the Wisdom Literature with a con–temporary lens, one of our Wisdom teachers was Dianne Bergant, CSA. She explored with us the richness of Biblical Wisdom that leads us to encounter Wisdom. The experience of Wisdom invites and challenges us to contemplation and action and living a Way of Wisdom. The Way of Wisdom in not the prevalent culture which is characterized by control, competition, indepen-dence/dependence, disdain, indifference, domination/submission and offensive/defensive postures. Rather the Way of Wisdom is witnessed by attitudes and actions of collaboration,cooperation, interdependence, respect, compassion, mutuality and harmony. Our continuing delving into the teachings of Wisdom call us to a transformation of Dying Freely to the Way of the World and to Living Freely the Way of Wisdom.

Scripture Texts:

Prov 2:20-3:8 Matt 30:8-16 Phil 2:1-41 Cor 12:4-11 Acts 20:18-24 Phil 4:10-14

What wisdom do these passages offer you about competition? About transformation – Dying Freely and Living Fully?

From: The Book of Qualities, J. Ruth Bender, p. 52

Competition is ruthless. He has to have an enemy. Otherwise he has a “life is meaningless” crisis. For him there is only one right way, and it must be that way always. He has no respectfor different colors, different crop varieties, or different points of view. He will divide life down to its smallest particles in his search to find only the best.

It is hard to say no to Competition. He makes the game sound so inviting until you are caught in the middle and begin to see how he has rigged it. He makes up all the rules and tells us some of them. We tried to change the game, and he kicked us out. Years later I dream I have forgotten to turn in the final assignment, and I am failing his class. His rules still haunt me.

Competition was in love with Creativity, but he married Efficiency. Not that Creativity wouldhave married him. Competition and Efficiency seem more like allies than lovers. They nevershout when they disagree. They settle their differences logically. However, it is not at all as rational as it seems on the surface. Efficiency still feels more than a little jealous of her husband’s passionate past. She has all kinds of plans and schemes to banish Creativity completely once she is secure in her position and certain of Competition’s loyalty.

Luckily for us, no one is ever certain of Competition’s loyalty. Considering his short attentionspan, history of treachery, and his inability to make a commitment to anyone, we can almost

assume Creativity will be safe from Efficiency’s snares.

From: Sacred Fire, Ronald Rolheiser,p. 249-252

The natural instinctual temptation in the face of jealousy, anger, bitterness, and hatred is to give back in kind: you hate me so I will hate you! But we’re invited to something higher. At the very heart of the gospel of Jesus, at its moral center, lies the invitation to go beyond, farbeyond, our natural instincts on this so as to meet hatred with love, bitterness with gracious-ness, jealousy with affirmation, and murder with forgiveness.

This challenge is what sets Jesus’ moral teaching apart from others and gives it its uniquecharacter, and its real teeth. And the litmus test, more broadly understood, in not one, singlemoral issue but rather a whole way of living that radiates more charity than selfishness, morejoy than bitterness, more peace than factionalism, more respect than negative judgment, moreempathy than anger.

Few things in life, including our own hearts and motives, are black and white, either/or, simplygood or simply bad. Maturity invites us to see, understand, and accept this complexity with empathy so that, like Jesus, we cry tears of understanding over our own troubled cities and ourown complex hearts and, like Jesus, too, we can forgive others, the world, ourselves for thiscomplexity and imperfection. A mature person watching the news at night and seeing the world’s wars, violence and wounds responds with empathy because she already recognizes within herself that same complexity, neediness, pride, and lust that lie at the root of all thatunrest. Deep maturity is very much synonymous with empathy.

Empathy is predicated, too, in part on being able to accept the limitations and innate frustra-tions in our lives; but as Karl Rahner once suggested, that is not an easy maturity to attain. Inhis view, maturity finds us by way of conscription: “In the torment of the insufficient attainable we come to understand that here, in this life, all symphonies remain unfinished.

As you reflect on this month’s theme and readings,What insights and awareness do they reveal about competition?What has been helpful to you? What has been challenging?

Wisdom Circles – March 2015Wisdom Transforms – CompetitionSuffering: Dying Freely – Living Fully

Setting: a candle, a cloth, image or symbol of competition

Opening Song or chant: of your choice

Reading:

Response: adapted from Your Sorrow is my Sorrow, Joyce Rupp, p. 130

Companion of the Suffering,the touch of your embrace comes to me in the gift of those who stand with me.How grateful I am for the compassionate ones who wrap me in their care and console me in their kindness.

Source of all Love,what encouragement is mine in those you have given to me.How blessed I am for the wisdom they have shown me in seeing my gifts and the gifts of others as complementary.

Creating Spirit,You hold our many differing gifts and teach us to work together.How empowered we are to walk the Way of Wisdom and witness your presence within and among us. AMEN.

Sharing: All have the opportunity to share their reflections on the experience of Competition: Dying Freely-Living Fully

Wisdom Word: After all have shared, allow a word or phrase to capture the heart of the group’s sharing

Circle Prayer: Bring to your circle the people, the places and the circumstances for which you wish to pray.

Closing Blessing: from In the Sanctuary of Women, Jan L. Richardson, p. 237

Together we pray for a blessing: That we who need each other will find one another.That we may follow the lines that lead us to the kindred of our souls.That our tribe will grow and prosper and be a blessing.That we may be the beauty in which we long to dwell. AMEN.