Queen Wisdom and Pure Simplicity are the 'wise serpent and the gentle dove' Jesus spoke of.

Most people 'of the world' celebrate the things of the world (a new car or a new house for example) that come into their lives. Although believers enjoy the things of this world as much as 'worldly' people, their joy isn't focused on these material 'things.' Those who trust God realize that what is most important in life are spiritual things and so they focus their desire and joy in God. God gives us all of His gifts, both material and spiritual, but tells us the greatest ones are spiritual in nature - the three chief ones being 'Faith, Hope and Love'.

St. Francis tells us about some other spiritual gifts in this first of a series on Francis' 'Praises of the Virtues'. Most of the passage is included here but this post focuses only on the first two sentences.

"Hail, Queen Wisdom! The Lord save you, with your holy sister pure Simplicity. Holy Lady Poverty, the Lord save you, with your sister holy Humility. Holy Lady Charity, the Lord save you, with your sister holy Obedience. All you most holy virtues, may the Lord save you, for from Him do you proceed and come to us."

Francis uses the feminine to describe all of the virtues because God made women so wonderful and, more so than with men, they are known for their beauty, wit, tenderness, empathy, kindness and . . . so much more! Besides God, there is nothing that can enrapture and captivate a man more powerfully or completely than the woman he loves! Therefore, Francis uses the feminine attribute to inspire both himself and his brothers to strive for 'the things of God'.

Francis calls Wisdom the Queen and refers to the other virtues as 'Ladies'. Wisdom is the Queen that should rule our hearts and direct the 'Ladies', the virtues, in our lives. Wisdom rules over the virtues in that she keeps them coordinated and balanced, assigning them, as necessary, to handle various situations.

Wisdom is not the same as knowledge since Knowledge is only the accumulation of facts and the ordering of them in relation to each other (like the date collected through the scientific process). Wisdom is the organization of knowledge that allows us to use that information to avoid danger and to be successful in all of our endeavors.

Wisdom tells us, given the circumstances, what is best to do in any given occasion given the particular circumstances. For example, we know that both mercy and justice are good and yet we might have trouble deciding which is best to use. Should we forgive ( just 'let it go') or demand (for justice's sake) the person who hurt us to make things right? Jesus Himself did both, turning the cheek to some people but standing up against abuse on another occasion ('Why did you strike me?!', he asked Caiphas' guard.)

Simply because a person knows a lot of facts doesn't make the person wise. Many educated and knowledgeable people don't know how to use their knowledge in a way that is prudent, balanced and appropriate. The proof of this is how many politicians (many of whom are well educated lawyers) have no commonsense when it comes to what is truly important in life or what is the best way to treat other people. For example, we've all heard the stories of state and local politicians engaging in extra-marital affairs - which is madness in itself! - and how foolishly they handled things when the news ultimately hit the media! Sometimes it seems like Washington is full of fools! A spiritually Wise person might not have knowledge about a lot of things but he knows a lot about doing what is right and how to achieve a happy, positive and productive life.

The pinnacle of all spiritual Wisdom is to know and appreciate our heavenly Father. Therefore, the full flowering of spiritual Wisdom is to desire, before everything else, to serve, honor and love God. We know we possess this Wisdom when we are able to show we love God by being kind to everyone we meet in our lives. Jesus said acting in love is the essence of 'the law and the prophets'.

Francis couples Queen Wisdom with her 'holy sister Pure Simplicity'. Simplicity, as well as the other virtues, share royal ancestry with the 'Queen' since they are all 'sisters'.

Simplicity is 'holy' in that God has set it aside (from the ordinary and profane) for His good purposes. Thus simplicity, compared to many other personality characteristics found in humanity, has a special place and reflects the very nature of our God - who is most humble and simple.

What is most provocative about sister Simplicity is that she is coupled with Wisdom. Many people see them as contrary to each other since how can a person be wise and simple at the same time? But spiritually, the only way to have one is to have the other!

Wisdom and Simplicity are coupled because they provide a wonderful counterweight to each other. St. Paul said, 'Knowledge makes a person proud and arrogant while love is most concerned with taking care of one's brother.' Simplicity balances out the tendency of Wisdom (knowledge) to be proud and selfish since true Simplicity is always humble and thinks only of others.

Simplicity and stupidity are not synonyms in the spiritual realm. The power of spiritual Simplicity is that it enables one to truly see and value what is most important in life. Simplicity disperses the cloudy mists of selfishness and pride which obscure our vision and disorder our priorities in life. Simplicity allows us to SEE and choose not only what is right but what is best for ourselves. Being proud and selfish, is just plain stupid! It is the virtuous person, the one who avoids those sins, who is the one who is wise since he will have peace and joy throughout his life and be able to accomplish the work of love God has called us all to complete. The educated man who commits sins without considering the consequences is the stupid one not the simple man who chooses what is truly good for his life.

What characterizes holy Simplicity is that it is pure and NOT corrupt, base, mean or ugly. Jesus said, "Be wise as serpents yet gentle as doves." He meant that we should have common sense so that we can function in this world but that we should keep our hearts pure from the world's evil influence and so have a heart like Jesus', filled with all that is good and heavenly.

The spiritually Simple person knows about sin but remains untainted by this knowledge. His holy simplicity and goodness lead him to hate and fear sin since he knows (through spiritual Wisdom) that it results in death. For that reason he tries to avoid people, places, things and situations that might lead to sin. There is great danger in what the Church calls 'occasions of sin' and the wise man learns to avoid them!

PRAYER: Lord God, You gave our father Francis both great spiritual Wisdom and profound spiritual Simplicity. We ask for grace to be like our father and be able to discern what is truly valuable and important in life. We know we need these precious gifts to be able to walk with You and do good in the world. We bow before You, Father, begging that you take away the pride and arrogance, greed and lust, from our hearts and replace them with spiritual Wisdom and Simplicity. You are so good Lord and we know it pleases You to give us all of Your priceless gifts, including Wisdom and Simplicity. Lead us Jesus to Your Father and make us pleasing to Him in all things. We ask in Your name - Jesus. Amen.