Reflections on Psalm 119:49–72, Wisdom 4:16–5:8, Colossians 1:24–2:7, and Luke 6:27–38
There are moments in the Daily Office when the readings feel less like separate voices and more like a single conversation echoing through the centuries. Today is one of those days.
The Psalmist speaks of hope rooted in God’s promises:
“This is my comfort in my distress, that your promise gives me life.”
— Psalm 119:50
Paul speaks of a mystery long hidden:
“The glorious riches of this mystery… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
— Colossians 1:27
And Jesus speaks words that seem almost impossible in a wounded world:
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
— Luke 6:27
Together these readings invite us into something deeper than religion as mere rule-keeping. They invite us into discernment — the ability to see reality as God sees it.
What Is Discernment?
Discernment is more than intelligence.
It is more than knowledge.
It is more than learning doctrine or memorizing Scripture.
Discernment is the spiritual ability to recognize truth beneath appearances.
It is the wisdom to distinguish:
- fear from love,
- power from goodness,
- religion from grace,
- certainty from wisdom,
- and self-interest from the Spirit of God.
The Psalmist prays:
“Teach me good judgment and knowledge.”
— Psalm 119:66
The Hebrew idea behind discernment carries the sense of taste, perception, and moral insight. Discernment is learning how to “taste” what is life-giving and what is destructive. It is the slow formation of the soul so that we begin to recognize the character of God in the middle of ordinary life.
Humanity has gained enormous amounts of information, yet we often lack discernment. We know how to build technologies, but not always how to love one another. We know how to win arguments, but not how to heal wounds. We know how to accumulate wealth, but not how to nourish the soul.
The tragedy of modern life is not lack of knowledge.
It is lack of wisdom.
The Hidden Mystery
Paul’s words in Colossians may be among the most profound in all of Scripture:
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Paul says this mystery was hidden for ages.
What was hidden?
Not merely theological information.
Not secret religious codes.
Not intellectual systems available only to scholars.
The hidden mystery is that the very life and love of God dwells within humanity.
Creation was never merely about survival, achievement, or religious performance. Humanity was created for communion — to participate in divine love itself.
Yet much of human history has missed this.
We have often reduced faith to:
- rules instead of transformation,
- fear instead of wonder,
- exclusion instead of hospitality,
- and certainty instead of humility.
But Paul recognized something deeper. Even suffering could become a doorway into grace because suffering strips away illusions. Pain forces us to confront our fragility. It reveals how little control we truly possess.
Paul does not glorify suffering itself. Rather, he recognizes that suffering is part of the human condition, and that God mysteriously meets us there.
Sometimes suffering becomes the place where discernment is born.
Many people discover compassion only after heartbreak.
Many discover mercy only after failure.
Many discover grace only after realizing they cannot save themselves.
The Wisdom of Jesus
Then we come to Jesus in Luke 6.
These teachings are not sentimental advice. They are revolutionary.
Love your enemies.
Bless those who curse you.
Give expecting nothing in return.
Forgive.
Show mercy.
Why?
Because this is the character of God.
Jesus is teaching discernment at its highest level. He is teaching us to see beyond the cycle of retaliation that governs so much of human behavior.
The undiscerning mind asks:
- “Who deserves my love?”
- “Who has earned mercy?”
- “How do I protect myself from losing?”
But the discerning heart begins asking different questions:
- “What reflects the nature of God?”
- “What brings healing into the world?”
- “What creates life rather than destruction?”
Jesus reveals that divine love is not transactional.
God’s mercy is not based upon worthiness. If it were, none of us would stand. Grace is gift. Love is gift. Life itself is gift.
The Failure to See
The reading from the Book of Wisdom speaks of those who finally realize too late that they misunderstood the righteous:
“Why have we strayed from the way of truth?”
— Wisdom 5:6
This may be one of the great themes of Scripture: humanity repeatedly fails to recognize what truly matters.
We chase success and overlook goodness.
We admire power and ignore compassion.
We protect institutions while neglecting souls.
Discernment calls us back to what is eternal.
The Psalmist understood this. God’s promises gave him life not because life was easy, but because he discovered something deeper than circumstances. He discovered that truth, mercy, and love endure even when everything else shakes.
The Curious Pilgrim Learns Slowly
As I grow older, I find myself less interested in winning arguments and more interested in seeing clearly.
Discernment often grows quietly.
It grows through suffering.
Through prayer.
Through failure.
Through listening.
Through loving imperfect people.
Through discovering our own imperfections.
The curious pilgrim eventually realizes that faith is not about escaping humanity but learning how to become fully human.
And perhaps that is the hidden mystery Paul saw all along:
That beneath all the noise, division, ambition, fear, and suffering of this world, the Spirit of God is still calling humanity toward love.
Toward mercy.
Toward grace.
Toward the healing of the soul.
And those who learn discernment begin to recognize that this hidden mystery was never truly absent.
It was waiting patiently for us to see it.
The Curious Pilgrim 
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