Today's readings focus on wisdom.
Wisdom, in Christian thought, is a gift of the Holy Spirit, contrasted with worldly or secular wisdom.
It may sometimes be believed that worldly wisdom is more practical and pragmatic. Realistic and "down to earth" compared to the pie-in-the-sky faith and hope of Christian "wisdom."
Not so. The one who possesses the wisdom of God knows the world better than the world knows itself. God created the world, after all. There is an obliviousness to worldly wisdom, illustrated in Jesus' image of the five unwise virgins who didn't realize that they weren't ready to go to the wedding party until it was too late.
The world is not fully self-aware. The best it can do is look in the mirror. God looks inward, to the heart. To look at God is to see with his eyes. Thus the teaching of the Church that "Christ fully reveals man to himself."
Wisdom means not letting oneself be distracted by the immediately visible. That does not necessarily mean looking away from it, but looking past it, going deeper. We don't have to detach ourselves completely. We just have to recognize that the things we deeply desire in this world in this life point to something else. We do not cower away from the world. We rise up from it.
Marriage is an example. Marriages where the two parties expect to find complete happiness in their partners are doomed to fail. Because two ordinary people cannot make each other perfectly happy. We all know this from experience. But two people who get married knowing that they will challenge each other, and help each other grow, are much more likely to make it. The world looks at marriage and all it sees is a destination. The Church (and other people of faith) see it as a starting point.
Worldly wisdom means looking only at the surface. Catholic Christian wisdom looks deeper and sees more. It doesn't just see a baby in a trough, it sees a savior. It doesn't just see a cross -- for when you think of just a cross, it's about as inspiring as a guillotine. Wisdom looks at it and sees salvation. Because wisdom looks deeper.
When you think about it, wisdom is critical thinking of the highest order. In fact, Thomas Aquinas postulates along those lines*.
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure critical thinking skills have to be taught. (At least, I remember being tested for it in high school.) The better a critical thinker the teacher is, the more critical a thinker the student will be. In the Christian's case, Christ is the teacher, the greatest of all.
*From the Summa: Q1 on the nature and extent of sacred doctrine, Article 6 whether it is the same as wisdom.
This doctrine [Christianity] is wisdom above all human wisdom; not merely in any one order, but absolutely. For since it is the part of a wise man to arrange and to judge, and since lesser matters should be judged in the light of some higher principle, he is said to be wise in any one order who considers the highest principle in that order: thus in the order of building, he who plans the form of the house is called wise and architect, in opposition to the inferior laborers who trim the wood and make ready the stones: "As a wise architect, I have laid the foundation" (1 Corinthians 3:10). Again, in the order of all human life, the prudent man is called wise, inasmuch as he directs his acts to a fitting end: "Wisdom is prudence to a man" (Proverbs 10:23). Therefore he who considers absolutely the highest cause of the whole universe, namely God, is most of all called wise. Hence wisdom is said to be the knowledge of divine things, as Augustine says (De Trin. xii, 14). But sacred doctrine essentially treats of God viewed as the highest cause -- not only so far as He can be known through creatures just as philosophers knew Him -- "That which is known of God is manifest in them" (Romans 1:19) -- but also as far as He is known to Himself alone and revealed to others. Hence sacred doctrine is especially called wisdom.
