CHAPTER SEVEN
CHOICE OF TRUE WISDOM
74. God himself has his Wisdom, the one and only true Wisdom
which we should love and seek as a great treasure. The
corrupt world also has its wisdom which must be condemned and
detested, for it is evil and destructive. Philosophers also
have their wisdom which must be spurned as useless for it can
often endanger our salvation.
So far we have been speaking of God's wisdom to those who
are spiritually mature, as the Apostle calls them (cf. 1 Cor.
2:6), but lest they be deceived by the false glitter of
worldly wisdom, let us unmask its hypocrisy and malice.
[1. Wisdom of the world]
75. The wisdom of the world is that of which it is said, "I
will destroy the wisdom of the wise (1 Cor. 1:19; cf. Is.
29:14), i.e. those whom the world calls wise." "The wisdom of
the flesh is an enemy of God" (Rom. 8:7), and does not come
from above. It is earthly, devilish and carnal (Jas. 3:15).
This worldly wisdom consists in an exact conformity to
the maxims and fashions of the world; a continual inclination
towards greatness and esteem; and a subtle and endless pursuit
of pleasure and self-interest, not in an uncouth and blatant
way by scandalous sin, but in an astute, discreet, and
deceitful way. Otherwise the world would no longer label it
wisdom but pure licentiousness.
76. In the opinion of the world, a wise man is one with a
keen eye to business; who knows how to turn everything to his
personal profit without appearing to do so. He excels in the
art of duplicity and well-concealed fraud without arousing
suspicion. He thinks one thing and says or does another.
Nothing concerning the graces and manners of the world is
unknown to him. He accommodates himself to everyone to suit
his own end, completely ignoring the honour and interests of
God. He manages to make a secret but fatal reconciliation of
truth and falsehood, of the gospel and the world, of virtue
and sin, of Christ and Belial. He wishes to be considered an
honest man but not a devout man, and most readily scorns,
distorts and condemns devotions he does not personally approve
of. In short, a man is worldly-wise who, following solely the
lead of his senses and human reasoning, poses as a good
Christian and a man of integrity, but makes little effort to
please God or atone by penance for the sins he has committed
against him.
77. The worldly man bases his conduct on personal honour, on
"What will people say?", on convention, on high living, on
self-interest, on ceremonious manners, and on witty
conversation. These seven principles are the irreproachable
supports on which, he believes, he can safely depend to enjoy
a peaceful life.
The world will canonise him for such virtues as courage,
finesse, tactfulness, shrewdness, gallantry, politeness and
good humour. It stigmatises as serious offences,
insensitiveness, stupidity, poverty, boorishness and bigotry.
78. He obeys as faithfully as he can the commandments which
the world gives him:
You shall be well acquainted with the world.
You shall be respectable.
You shall be successful in business.
You shall hold on to whatever is yours.
You shall rise above your background.
You shall make friends for yourself.
You shall frequent fashionable society.
You shall seek the good life.
You shall not be a kill-joy.
You shall not be singular, uncouth or over-pious.
79. Never has the world been so corrupt as it is now, for
never has it been so cunning, so wise in its own way, and so
crafty. It cleverly makes use of the truth to foster untruth,
virtue to justify vice, and the very maxims of Jesus Christ to
endorse its own so that even those who are wisest in the sight
of God are often deceived.
"Infinite is the number of these men, wise in the sight
of the world but foolish in the eyes of God" (Eccles. 1:15).
80. Earthly wisdom of which St James speaks, is love for the
things of this world. Worldly men secretly subscribe to this
wisdom when they set their hearts on worldly possessions and
strive to become rich. They institute court proceedings and
engage in needless disputes to acquire wealth or hold on to
it. Most of the time they are thinking, speaking, acting with
the sole aim of acquiring or keeping some temporal possession.
They pay little or no attention to their eternal salvation or
to the means of saving their souls, such as Confession, Holy
Communion, prayer, etc.; except in an offhand way out of
routine, once in a while, and for the sake of appearances.
81. The wisdom of the flesh is the love of pleasure. This is
the wisdom shown by the worldly-wise who seek only the
satisfaction of the senses. They want to have a good time.
They shun everything that might prove unpleasant or mortifying
for the body, such as fasting, and other austerities. Usually
they think only of eating, drinking, playing, laughing,
enjoying life and having a good time. They must always be
comfortable and insist on having entertaining pastimes, the
best of food and good company.
They regale themselves with all these pleasures without
the least scruple, with no disapproval from the world and no
inconvenience to their health. Then they can go looking for
some broad-minded confessor (that is how they describe lax
confessors who shirk their duty) to obtain from him on easy
terms the peaceful sanction for their soft and effeminate way
of living and a generous pardon for their sins. I say "on
easy terms" because these worldly people usually want as a
penance only a few prayers or a small offering to the poor.
They detest anything that could possibly cause them any bodily
discomfort.
82. Diabolical wisdom is the love and esteem of honours.
This is the wisdom of the worldly-wise who, secretly, of
course, long for distinctions, honours, dignities and high
offices. They strive to be seen, esteemed, praised and
applauded by men. In their studies, their work, their
undertakings, their words and actions, all they want is the
esteem and praise of men, to be reputed as devout or learned
people, as great leaders, eminent lawyers, men of great and
distinguished merit or deserving of high consideration. They
cannot bear insult or blame and so they hide their
shortcomings and parade their better qualities.
83. We must, like our Lord Jesus Christ, incarnate Wisdom,
detest and condemn these three kinds of false wisdom if we are
to possess the true one, which is not self-seeking, not found
in the world nor in the heart of those who lead a comfortable
life, and which loathes everything that men consider great and
noble.
[2. Natural wisdom]
84. Besides worldly wisdom, which is pernicious and must be
condemned, there is the natural wisdom of philosophers.
It was this natural wisdom that the Egyptians and Greeks
eagerly sought for, "The Greeks look for wisdom" (1 Cor.
1:22). Those who had acquired this wisdom were called magi or
wise men. This wisdom consists in an eminent knowledge of
nature in its primary elements. It was given in full to Adam
before the Fall. It was conferred on Solomon, and down
through the ages many great men have received it, as history
testifies.
85. Philosophers boast that their wisdom is acquired through
philosophical argumentation. Alchemists boast of cabalistic
secrets for finding the philosopher's stone in which, they
imagine, this wisdom is to be found.
It is true that scholastic philosophy, when studied in a
truly Christian way, develops the mind and enables it to
understand the higher sciences, but it will never confer that
so-called natural wisdom which the ancients prided themselves
on possessing.
86. The science of alchemists, which purports to teach that
natural bodies can be reduced to their basic principles, is
still more worthless and dangerous. This science, although
valid in itself, has duped and deceived multitudes of people
regarding the end it proposes to attain. Judging by my own
experience, I am sure that the devil is using this false
science to cause a loss of money and time, as well as grace,
and even the soul itself, under the pretext of finding the
philosopher's stone. No other science claims to accomplish
such great effects by such obvious means.
This science claims to produce the philosopher's stone or
a powder (which they call "projection") which, when thrown
upon any metal in a liquid state, will change it into silver
or gold, which will restore health, cure illnesses, even
prolong life, and effect countless marvels which ignorant
people believe are divine and miraculous.
There is a group of people who consider themselves
experts in this science and who are called "Cabalists" and
these keep such a close guard on the hidden mysteries of this
science that they would rather lose their life than reveal its
so-called secrets.
87. They justify what they teach by:
(1) The history of Solomon, whom they firmly believe had
been given the secret of the philosopher's stone, and as proof
they produce a secret book which is false and insidious,
entitled "The Clavicle of Solomon".
(2) The history of Esdras, to whom God gave a heavenly
liquid to drink and which gave him "wisdom", as is related in
the seventh book of Esdras.
(3) The history of Raymond Lully and of several great
philosophers who say they have found this philosopher's stone.
(4) Finally, the better to cover their imposture with a
cloak of piety, they call it a gift of God, which is given
only to those who have persevered in asking for it and who
have merited it by their works and prayers.
88. I have given an account of the fantasies or illusions of
this futile science so that like many others you may not be
deceived. I know that some who, after having spent so much
money and wasted so much time, under the most laudable and
pious pretexts in the world and in a most devoted manner, have
finally regretted everything and confessed their pretence and
their delusions.
I do not admit that the philosopher's stone is a
possibility. A learned man named Del Rio is certain it is and
has given proofs; others deny it. Be that as it may, it is
not befitting, it is even dangerous, for a Christian to occupy
himself in seeking it. It would be an insult to Jesus Christ,
Wisdom incarnate, in whom are found all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge of God (Col. 2:3) as well as every gift
of nature, grace and glory. It implies disobedience to the
Holy Spirit who tells us in Ecclesiasticus 3: "Do not seek
what is beyond your capabilities" (Sir. 3:22).
[3. Conclusion]
89. So let us remain with Jesus, the eternal and incarnate
Wisdom. Apart from him, there is nothing but aimless
wandering, untruth and death. "I am the way, I am the truth,
I am the life" (Jn. 14:6). Now let us see the effects of
Wisdom in souls.
