Curiosity is a worldly spirit that distances one from the spirit of wisdom. This was main theme of Pope Francis’ homily today at Casa Santa Marta during morning Mass. The Holy Father reflected on both the first reading which spoke on the nature of wisdom and the Gospel of Luke, which called the Pharisee’s curiosity on the coming of the Kingdom of God.
Commenting on the book of Wisdom, the Pope began by stating that the spirit of wisdom in one’s life helps us to walk with God, to make decisions “according to the heart of God.”
“It is a spirit of peace, the spirit of love, the spirit of brotherhood,” he said.
“That which God asks of Abraham – ‘Walk in my presence and be irreproachable’ – is this peace. To go with the motions of the Spirit of God and of this wisdom. And of that man and that woman who walk like this, we can say that they are a wise man and woman. A wise man and a wise woman, because they move with the motions of the patience of God.”
The Gospel, he continued, presents a spirit contrary to that of wisdom: that of curiosity.
“Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, ‘The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you,” the Gospel of Luke states.
Referring to the Pharisees as “curious people”, the Holy Father stated that the same spirit of curiosity they exemplified distances us from wisdom. Its only interest is “in the details, the news, the small news of the day.”
“It is the ‘how’: it is the spirit of ‘how’! And the spirit of curiosity is not a good spirit: it is the spirit of dispersion, of distancing oneself from God, the spirit of speaking too much. And Jesus will also tell us something interesting: this spirit of curiosity, that is worldly, brings us to confusion.”
“Curiosity,” he continued, “urges us to want to hear that the Lord is here or there; or it makes us say ‘I know a seer, a seer, that receives letters from Our Lady, messages from Our Lady.’ But look, Our Lady is a Mother! And she loves us all. But she is not the head of the Post Office to send us messages every day.”
Pope Francis went on to say that such curiosities distances us from the Gospel. The Kingdom of God does not come to attract attention nor bring confusion, but rather, it comes in wisdom to bring peace. The Holy Father compared this coming of the Kingdom to God’s manifestation to the prophet Elijah, which came not in strong winds, or terrible storms, but through a soft breeze.
“The Kingdom of God is in our midst: do not look for strange things, don’t look for new things with this worldly curiosity,” he concluded. “Let the Holy Spirit take us forward, with that wisdom that is a soft breeze. This is the Spirit of the Kingdom of God, which Jesus speaks of.”
