Friday- 1st week - Ordinary Time After Christmas : Prophet, King, Priest: True wisdom and Grace Flow
Through Baptism, all the faithful are incorporated into Christ and share in his three-fold mission: priestly, prophetic, and kingly.
God's direct leadership ruled through a Prophet, protecting them from the Philistines.
1 Samuel 7: 15 Samuel judged Israel as long as he lived.
The prophetic, priestly, and kingly roles should be aligned in an individual to ensure proper conduct within personnel, family and society.
In personal life, Ministry, Family, Business, Society—everywhere, these tripartite aspects of priestly, kingly, and prophetic wisdom are applicable. Every human action in any situation comes out from the combination of this tripartite wisdom.
While combining these tripartite wisdoms for divine intention and human requirement can result in either true or false wisdom, this results in either blessing or a curse. True wisdom leads to moral alignment or divine favor, that is grace, which in turn fosters positive outcomes called blessings that enrich one's community and family.
Mary found favor with God and was a success in bringing up Jesus in true wisdom. She is considered the most perfect model of true wisdom, earning the title as the Seat of Wisdom.
The Rosary is the most effective prayer to attain true wisdom. The Rosary helps to follow the model of Mary to find favor with God. Through phrases like 'Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,' we praise Jesus through Mary, which will awaken the soul to receive prophetic wisdom. Meditating on the mysteries of Jesus and Mary turns hearts meek to grasp priestly wisdom. It helps the mind gain focus, allowing reason to become upright and discern truth from falsehood to access kingly wisdom. Once all three are active, True wisdom will reflect.
When a prophet is not present to judge, human rulers lead instead of God's direct leadership.
1 Samuel 8:4-7 The elders of Israel approach the prophet Samuel and ask him to appoint a king to rule them like other nations, citing his old age and his sons' corrupt ways as reasons for wanting a human ruler instead of God's direct leadership.
7 The LORD said: Listen to whatever the people say. You are not the one they are rejecting. They are rejecting me as their king. 8 They are acting toward you just as they have acted from the day I brought them up from Egypt to this very day, deserting me to serve other gods.
1 Samuel 8:10-22 Samuel's warning to Israel about choosing a human king: God is warning that a king will tax their flocks (taking a tenth), enslave their children and best workers, seize their land, and ultimately, when the people cry out in oppression, God won't answer because they chose this system over His direct rule, rejecting Him as their King.
For prophetic wisdom, an inward focus is required to make you receive truth and gain insight, providing a secure, grounded, and "comfortable" inner life, but it can make life static. For priestly wisdom, an outward focus is required for thoughts, actions, and service, which also makes you feel vulnerable. Controlling these two types of wisdom is kingly wisdom. It is the ability to take action, rule, and bring the insights of the prophet and the service of the priest together in a structured, productive way. True wisdom is a harmonious blend of all three. Comprehending true wisdom is success. A king is the authority comprehending and controlling the focus.
The Israelites sought a king like other nations, as their focus shifted outward, eroding trust in God and their sense of safety; concerns about Samuel's age, the appeal of popular trends, and modern warfare made them feel vulnerable, leading them to reject God's leadership for a visible ruler. An outward focus make you feel vulnerable
Mark 2: 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”.
John 7:38 Whoever believes in me ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’”.
True wisdom is the alignment of the tripartite aspects of priestly, kingly, and prophetic wisdom for divine intention and human requirement. True wisdom originates the flow of Grace and produces blessing to the benefit of the person and community.
The paralyzed man entered Jesus' presence through the faith of others, demonstrating the power of intercession. His sins were forgiven, bringing a flow of grace and blessings. When someone finds true wisdom, they can effectively help others find favor, leading to repentance and healing
Through Baptism, all the faithful are incorporated into Christ and share in his three-fold mission: priestly, prophetic, and kingly.
A prophet is to enter the presence of the Lord; he knows the will of God. He submits the prayer. When this gets answered, he receives the grace necessary to solve that prayer. The king has to execute it; the priest has to share it with deeds and actions. This is a blessing. This interconnected process is the flow of grace to blessing, where divine intention is revealed, empowered, executed, and shared to the benefit of the community.
Prophet (Knowing God's Will): The prophet enters the presence of the Lord and discerns God's will and message. This involves receiving divine revelation and submitting a prayer or intercession for that will to be realized.
Grace (Possession of the Solution): When the prayer is answered, the individual "got the possession of grace to solve that prayer". Grace, in this context, is the divine assistance or power granted to effectively address the situation according to God's will.
King (Execution of the Will): The kingly role involves governing, organizing, and using authority to execute or implement the revealed will of God on earth. This brings order and structure to the solution.
Priest (Sharing and Action): The priestly function is to minister grace, build bridges, and share the blessing with others through concrete deeds and actions, fostering faith and communion between people and God.
Acts 13:22 ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.'