Lady Wisdom Incarnate

Photo: Lady Wisdom puppet being carried at the Palm Sunday Peace Parade in Pasadena. Created by Gloria Newton.

Does not wisdom call out?
    Does not understanding raise her voice?

² At the highest point along the way,
    where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
³ beside the gate leading into the city,
    at the entrance, she cries aloud:
⁴ “To you, O people, I call out;
    I raise my voice to all mankind.
⁵ You who are simple, gain prudence;
    you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
⁶ Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
    I open my lips to speak what is right.
⁷ My mouth speaks what is true,
    for my lips detest wickedness.
⁸ All the words of my mouth are just;
    none of them is crooked or perverse.
⁹ To the discerning all of them are right;
    they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
¹⁰ Choose my instruction instead of silver,
    knowledge rather than choice gold,
¹¹ for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her....

³³ Listen to my instruction and be wise;
    do not disregard it.
³⁴ Blessed are those who listen to me,
    watching daily at my doors,
    waiting at my doorway.
³⁵ For those who find me find life
    and receive favor from the Lord.
³⁶ But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
    all who hate me love death.”

I love this delightful passage from Proverbs 8, which was the reading at the Methodist church on Sunday. But before I reflect on it,  I'd like to share a story about how God is working through this blog. On Saturday, I felt led to write a reflection about my spiritual life--something I haven't done for months, maybe even over a year, because I'm so busy with my activist life. The next day I dropped by the Orange Grove Friends Meeting during fellowship time and a young man named Bobby I never met before eagerly approached me and said, "Anthony, it's great to see you! I was reading your blog yesterday and want to talk with you." I was amazed: I don't usually get this kind of response from my blog entries. (Actually it's never happened.) He went on to tell me that he wants to start a Quaker meeting in Long Beach, and is seeking my advice. I was delighted by his enthusiasm, and eager to help, but that's a conversation for another time. For now, I'd like to share briefly my thoughts about Lady Wisdom.

I love this passage because it shows Wisdom as the female side of God. Lady Wisdom (like the logos in John's Gospel) existed before creation and was present as God crafted the universe, delighting in God's creativity. Wisdom is also portrayed as prophetic, calling out in public places, calling us to practice justice and live righteously. Wisdom is attained not by poring over books acquiring knowledge (or googling for more info), but by listening--"waiting and watching" patiently at her door. For me, this is a metaphor for contemplation.

Lady Wisdom is not only audacious, the spirit of prophesy, she is also hospitable. She welcome us into her spacious home  and serves us her bread and wine--not the intoxicating kind, but the kind that leads to life-giving "insight."

To those who have no sense she says,
5     “Come, eat my food
    and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;
    walk in the way of insight.”

As I reflected on this passage, I thought of those I know who have embodied Wisdom, and most of them are women. I thought of Janet Riley, a Quaker I met in the 1980s when I first joined the Society of Friends. During the darkest days of the Cold War, when Reagan was calling the Soviet Union an "evil empire," Janet was passionate about starting a Quaker meeting in Moscow and led an effort to create a joint Soviet-American book project--a collection of poetry and stories by Russians and Americans that would be published in both countries and dispel stereotypes. Janet was not reticent about sharing her vision. She told everyone and her enthusiasm was contagious. I joined Janet's efforts and came to love her bold, beautiful spirit. She was in many ways the embodiment of Lady Wisdom. She was constantly calling us out to do the right thing, to build bridges of understanding between Russians and Americans, to put our Quaker peace testimony into practice. She was also kind and hospitable. Thanks to her, I played a small part in helping to end the Cold War.

My wife Kathleen, a Methodist pastor, also embodied Lady Wisdom for me during the twenty years we were married. Kathleen was a contemplative and compassionate listener but she also spoke powerful "words of wisdom" when she preached. I met her at Pendle Hill, the Quaker Center for Study and Contemplation, in 1988, not long after I became a Quaker. As a young girl, Kathleen was extremely shy, but once she found her calling as a preacher and pastor, she spoke the word of God with such power I was often brought to tears. Over the years, she helped me to find gifts I never dreamed I had--such as leading youth groups. She encouraged me in interfaith peacemaking and my calling as a Quaker "publisher of truth" when I became editor of Friends Bulletin, the official publication of Western unprogrammed Quakers. Her wisdom helped me to became a little more wise, a little more patient, and a little less judgmental. After she died of cancer, I realized that Kathleen had taught me much more: how to live like a Christian, love like a Christian, and face illness and death like a Christian. Her life of love and wisdom still inspires me. She was like the wife in proverbs: "a woman of valor, more precious than rubies."

I feel the same way about my current wife Jill, who is a "passionate, prophetic and persistent" activist for housing justice. Eleven years ago Jill and I met at the Palm Sunday Peace Parade, which celebrated Jesus as the Prince of Peace. This set the tone for our marriage. In our marriage vows, we affirmed: "The Prince of Peace brought us together for a purpose greater than either of us can imagine." That's proven to be true. Three years ago we started a nonprofit devoted to housing justice that has had remarkable successes.  Thanks to Jill, I have led an advocacy team for affordable housing that will ensure hundreds of units of affordable housing for  low-income and and unhoused people. Jill has another quality of Lady Wisdom: the gift of hospitality and creativity. Like her artist and fashionista mother, Jill is a creative spirit who delights in beauty. What a joy to be married to another "woman of valor" with a heart of gold!

I want to conclude by saying that it's not just women who embody Lady Wisdom. According to Bert Newton's compelling book "The Subversive Wisdom of John's Gospel," Jesus was portrayed as the  embodiment of Lady Wisdom and often quotes her words. Jesus displayed both the boldness and the compassion of Lady Wisdom, offering his disciples life-giving "bread and wine" and showing them a new society based on loving kindness and truth--the antithesis of materialism, empire and the domination system.

Two Quaker men who embody Lady Wisdom for me are George Lakey and David Hartsough. Not only are they giants of justice and peace, they are also gracious and joyful. David is one of the kindest, most hospitable people I have ever known, with a smile that lights up the room. George Lakey loves to gather people around a piano and lead sing-a-longs to Broadway show tunes. Like Lady Wisdom, they rejoice in God's creation, and in humankind, as she explains in Proverbs 8:

.... I was constantly  at [God's] side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
    rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
    and delighting in mankind

I feel deeply grateful for these blessed souls who have embodied Lady Wisdom in their life and work and shown me the path that leads to Wisdom. I pray God that others will open their hearts and minds to Lady Wisdom and learn to walk in her ways. Maybe we can walk together!