You Don’t Have to Prove That You’re Wise

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the First Reading, St Paul says: “If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise.” We spend so much of our lives trying to prove that we know what we are doing. We want to look capable, informed, successful, even spiritually mature. We do not like admitting that we are confused, weak, or unsure. And yet St Paul says that the beginning of real wisdom may actually be admitting, “Maybe I don’t see everything clearly.” That takes humility. Sometimes the greatest obstacle to God is not our weakness, but our confidence that we already know better.

St Gregory the Great was educated, gifted, respected, and eventually became Pope. But what made him great was not simply intelligence or position. It was his willingness to place everything he had at the service of God. He even called himself the “servant of the servants of God.” That is such a strange title in a world that constantly tells us to climb higher, become more important, and make sure people notice us. Gregory discovered that greatness in the Kingdom of God is not about standing above others; it is about kneeling down to serve them.

And maybe this is where today’s reading becomes personal. St Paul says, “Let no one boast about human beings.” How much of our peace disappears because we compare ourselves with other people? We compare careers, ministries, families, intelligence, holiness, appearance, even how other people pray. We quietly ask, “Am I doing better than them? Do people respect me? Am I enough?” But Paul turns the whole thing upside down. He says, “Everything belongs to you… and you to Christ, and Christ to God.” In other words, you do not need to build your identity by being better than somebody else. You already belong to Christ. And if you belong to Christ, you already possess the one thing no achievement, title, or reputation can give you.

Maybe real wisdom is much simpler than we think. It is knowing who we belong to. St Gregory became great not because he spent his life trying to become great, but because he allowed God to use his gifts in service of others. That is the challenge for us today: not to ask, “How can I look wise?” but, “Lord, how can I be faithful with what You have given me?”

And perhaps that is the question worth carrying with us today: What am I still trying to prove? Maybe God is inviting us to stop performing, stop comparing, stop defending our importance, and simply belong to Him. Because when we know that we are Christ’s, we can finally stop needing everyone else to think we are something special. And strangely enough, that is where true wisdom begins.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, free me from the need to impress, compete, or prove myself. Give me the humility to admit when I do not know, the wisdom to listen when You speak, and the courage to use whatever gifts I have in service of others. Like St Gregory the Great, teach me to seek not greatness, but faithfulness, and to remember always that I belong to You. Amen.

– Homily by Rev Fr Patrick Agbeko