What Is Wisdom?

Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" But a better question might be, "What is wisdom?" Knowing certain facts or accumulating a lot of knowledge does not, in itself, lead to a happy, satisfying, or even a necessarily productive life. Something more is required. What? Plato looked to the virtues; Aristotle, too--particularly the virtue of prudence, without which all the other virtues cannot be used properly. Knowing where, when, how, and in what measure to employ the knowledge and skills we've accumulated is just as important as the knowledge and skills themselves. Where do we gain this wisdom? Wisdom is an art--the art of using knowledge well. As with any other art, skill is acquired by dedicated practice, by apprenticing ourselves to devoted masters who have practiced long years before us. Studying and practicing under a virtuoso is how we begin to partake of the virtuoso's art.

Where are the virtuosos of wisdom to be found? Christians call them "saints." They are those who have apprenticed themselves to God, the Source of all Wisdom. By living with the saints, inhabiting their thought-world and their ethos, by observing their art--this is how we, too, grow in wisdom and grace. But it isn't only the "Saints" (with a capital "S") who are virtuosos. There are many secret virtuosos of wisdom all around us, traveling incognito, but visible nonetheless--if we choose to see them: the working dad who never misses a child's baseball game; the mother who knows just what to say to soothe a child's aching heart; the grandmother who quietly tends to the linens and flowers on the altar each week; the young professional who comes straight from the train to pray and sing on a weekday evening; the busy manager who takes time out to make sure a BBQ picnic comes out just right; the retired teacher who still volunteers at school; the man whose health has deteriorated so he can't walk, but who helps others by making recordings for the blind.

There are many more besides these. Sometimes they become very famous, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta or Brother Roger of Taize; but most of the time they remain anonymous--known, at best, to only those few nearby who have eyes to see. And, of course, known to God.