The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 306: Wisdom Is Beautiful (2024)
Fri, 01 Nov
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Fr. Mike draws our attention to the descriptions of wisdom found in our readings for today and reflects on the beauty of wisdom’s feminine nature. He also discusses the death of Antiochus Epiphanes and offers two perspectives on reconciling God’s role in suffering. Today’s readings are from 2 Maccabees 9, Wisdom 7-8, and Proverbs 25:1-3. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
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Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 306. We're reading 2nd book of the Maccabees, chapter 9, as well as Wisdom chapters 7 and 8, Proverbs chapter 25, verses 1 through 3.
As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the 2nd Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates because today is day 306. You have 59 days. Gosh, math. Why is it so hard? It's not that hard. It's day 306. We're reading 2 Maccabees chapter 9, Wisdom 7 and 8, Proverbs chapter 25, verses 1 through 3. The Second Book of the Maccabees, Chapter 9. The Last Campaign of Antiochus Epiphanes.
About that time as it happened, Antiochus had retreated in disorder from the region of Persia, for he had entered the city called Persepolis, and attempted to rob the temples and control the city. Therefore, the people rushed to the rescue with arms, and Antiochus and his men were defeated, with the result that Antiochus was put to flight by the inhabitants and beat a shameful retreat.
while he was in ecbatana news came to him of what happened to nicanor and the forces of timothy transported with rage he conceived the idea of turning upon the jews the injury done by those who had put him to flight so he ordered his charioteer to drive without stopping until he completed the journey
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Chapter 2: What readings are covered in today’s episode?
So for in her, there was a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, or mobile. And it goes on. Because of her pureness, she pervades and penetrates all things. She is a breath of the power of God, a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty.
And so all of these words, I would say, gosh, you know, if you have the ability to also be reading as you're listening, this is where we just kind of mark these words, or even if you can't right now, but to be able to highlight some of those words and be able to talk with God about them, like that sense of being able to say, okay, Lord, these are characteristics. These are elements of your wisdom.
Elements of your wisdom is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile. clear, unpolluted. All of those words, again, as I said before, they can be meditated on for a very long time. And there's aspects of, I don't want to say God's character, but kind of. I mean, in so many ways, the Holy Spirit is associated with God's wisdom.
And so in that sense, we kind of can make a lot of really significant connections. Speaking of connections, the author of 2 Maccabees, he makes so many more connections than the author of 1 Maccabees. We've talked about this already, but I just want to highlight this because it continues to come back up.
That in 1 Maccabees, we experience, we got to hear about at least the death of Antiochus or the fact that Antiochus was at some point defeated. But here in chapter 9 of 2 Maccabees, we not only hear of the death of Antiochus, that he was defeated, we also hear who defeated him. And who defeated him was the Lord God himself.
And it was because Antiochus, his evil had gotten to a point where there was no coming back, basically. Here is what the author to the Maccabees is saying. And so even though Antiochus made a promise to God, he still died outside of covenant. He still died afar from God because his heart was hardened to the Lord. He simply was kind of using God as a fire escape kind of a situation.
And it didn't help him, didn't get him any better. But we also recognize in 2 Maccabees, one of the things that we noted from the first Maccabees, which is in the midst of all this fighting, in the midst of all these political machinations and manipulations and all these kinds of this fight for power, God is involved.
And again, I might be beating this drum too much and I apologize for that, but it is so important for all of us to understand That in every one of our lives, we can take one of two perspectives. The first perspective is first Maccabees, where God is kind of sort of there, but you got to just really fight for yourself. Or second Maccabees, where God is not just kind of sort of there.
He is definitely there. And he is active in your life. And he's active in my life. And it seems to me, again, it's not really opposed to each other. It wasn't the goal of first Maccabees to show how God was involved. The goal of second Maccabees is definitely to show how God was involved. So it's not like they're contradictory.
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