O Sapientia

As befits the Old English usage, I begin a series of reflections on the Advent Antiphons beginning today on the 16th of December.

O Sapientia

O Wisdom, who from the mouth of the Most High proceedest, spanning from one end as far as the other, firmly and sweetly setting forth all things: come for to teach us the way of prudence.

The relationship between Wisdom and the Holy Trinity is imperfectly reflected in the way that we speak. 

The Church Fathers, especially St John Damascene, see the relationship between the Persons of the Trinity being like the spoken Word. When we speak our words proceed from us born of our minds and borne on our breath.

We see this reflected in God: the Father speaks the Word and it is borne on the Holy Ghost. But God is simple which means that the spoken Word and the Divine Breath have the same substance and are God. Their emanations of Word and Breath from Father are different but are the same God. 

This is the Wisdom we are given, for the Word is the Truth: He is what really is and we exist only because He is. This Wisdom is in Eternity with God but is not God: she only has existence because Creation exists and Creation requires knowledge of its Creator. Without Creation, God is complete in Himself and requires no Wisdom to communicate the Truth. The Word is the means of communicating the Truth to us and He conveys Wisdom to us.

We need to be taught about Our Creator, first because we are created and therefore different from our Creator, and secondly because we are capable of falling from Him and have fallen from Him. This is the prudence we need to be taught: The Word becomes flesh and dwells among us for pure love of us and our salvation.