Saturdays were my favorite day as a child. It meant time spent with my mom, or dad, or both, usually shopping for groceries, buying the latest Nancy Drew volume and, eventually, grabbing a bite to eat at the local diner.
Looking back, I realize how much of my time with them was filled with lessons, not only taught on-purpose but caught from listening to their conversations, which usually included some funny story relayed by my dad.
As with most couples, there were lots of observations about people they knew – relatives, friends, and co-workers. My father almost always shared something from his days at work, like the time a co-worker thought it would be funny to pound on the restroom door when the boss was inside, only to have the door break off the hinges and fall on their seated boss.
My dad would inevitably describe someone as a good person or an old fool.
For the good person, the bottom line was always a heart that meant well, in spite of shortcomings and mistakes. The old fool, on the other hand, was self-focused, making decisions that rarely took others into account.
Undoubtedly, we have all been or will be, the old fool at one point or another, differing only by degrees. The danger lies in foolishness that becomes a habit, a way of life that destroys our willingness to seek forgiveness for what we have done, or, what we have failed to do—or even admit to ourselves that we have fallen short of our responsibilities and promises to God.
Scripture has a lot to say about fools, particularly about the several types of fools described by varying Hebrew words. Scripture also teaches there is one way to overcome being a fool: Choose wisdom.
Choosing wisdom, Proverbs explains, requires seeking wisdom, an effort of mind and heart:
“…if you receive my words and treasure my commands, turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understand; Yes, if you call for intelligence, and to understanding raise your voice; If you seek her like silver, and like hidden treasures search her out, then will you understand the fear of the Lord; The knowledge of God you will find; For the Lord gives wisdom…”
Seeking wisdom is really a life-long journey, one that requires two traits, as identified by the saints.
St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us: “Where there is humility, there is wisdom.”
Additionally, teaches St. Augustine, “Patience is the companion to wisdom.”
And, in all endeavors, we should open our hearts in prayer to the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.