20260216 GROWING IN WISDOM THROUGH THE TRIALS OF LIFE
16 February 2026, Monday, 6th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | James 1:1-11 |
Your faith is put to the test so that your patience may make you complete
From James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Greetings to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion.
My brothers, you will always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege; you understand that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient, but patience too is to have its practical results so that you will become fully-developed, complete, with nothing missing.
If there is any one of you who needs wisdom, he must ask God, who gives to all freely and ungrudgingly; it will be given to him. But he must ask with faith, and no trace of doubt, because a person who has doubts is like the waves thrown up in the sea when the wind drives. That sort of person, in two minds, wavering between going different ways, must not expect that the Lord will give him anything.
It is right for the poor brother to be proud of his high rank, and the rich one to be thankful that he has been humbled, because riches last no longer than the flowers in the grass; the scorching sun comes up, and the grass withers, the flower falls; what looked so beautiful now disappears. It is the same with the rich man: his business goes on; he himself perishes.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):67-68,71-72,75-76 |
Let your love come to me and I shall live.
Before I was afflicted I strayed
but now I keep your word.
You are good and your deeds are good;
teach me your statutes.
Let your love come to me and I shall live.
It was good for me to be afflicted,
to learn your statutes.
The law from your mouth means more to me
than silver and gold.
Let your love come to me and I shall live.
Lord, I know that your decrees are right,
that you afflicted me justly.
Let your love be ready to console me
by your promise to your servant.
Let your love come to me and I shall live.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps94:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn14:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 8:11-13 |
No sign shall be given to this generation
The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’ And leaving them again and re-embarking, he went away to the opposite shore.
GROWING IN WISDOM THROUGH THE TRIALS OF LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jm 1:1-11; Mk 8:11-13]
What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Knowledge is acquired through study; wisdom through life experiences. Knowledge does not change us from within, but wisdom does. Knowledge remains extraneous to us and awaits to be proven in and through experience. Until the person who possesses knowledge experiences it in his or her own life, he or she remains only superficially convinced and can change his or her mind very quickly.
Knowledge alone cannot bring about a real change in life. This explains why even people who have subscribed to a particular religion for years can embrace another religion overnight, often because of a profound religious encounter. The same applies to issues of morals and ethics. Simply knowing what is right does not necessarily change lives. We all know the laws and the right things to do, yet we often fail to observe them because they are not written in our hearts but only on tablets.
Wisdom, however, is gained through life experiences. The deeper the experience, the more radical the conversion. Because experience touches every aspect of a person’s being–head, heart, and body–it brings about a complete change in the way one looks at life. Indeed, our views, horizons, values, interests, and convictions are often shaped by past experiences. For this reason, there are some things that logical thinking and argument alone cannot convince a person of; he or she may remain sceptical and indifferent until personally experiencing it.
How then does one acquire wisdom? Much wisdom is gained through the trials and mistakes of life. St James wrote, “My brothers, you will always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege.” Indeed, the trials of life are the means by which we grow in wisdom. Even the Letter to the Hebrews says, “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Heb 5:8f). We often learn wisdom best through the sufferings that arise from trials and mistakes.
In suffering, we are given time to reflect. Success is often a single event that we celebrate, but suffering is usually a process that does not end in a day. The consequences of our mistakes may be felt for days, months, or even years. Whether it is a failed relationship, a broken marriage, an accident, an illness, a scandal, a crime, or a separation, we go through periods of questioning–what happened, how it happened, and why it happened. We pass through stages of grief: denial, bargaining with God, resignation, and eventually acceptance. That is why suffering can become the means by which God disciplines us. “My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.”
A case in point highlighted by St James is the pursuit of honour, riches, and wealth. He wrote, “It is right for the poor brother to be proud of his high rank, and the rich one to be thankful that he has been humbled, because riches last no longer than the flowers in the grass; the scorching sun comes up, and the grass withers, the flower falls; what looked so beautiful now disappears. It is the same with the rich man: his business goes on; he himself perishes.” The truth is that many of us are deceived into thinking that honour and wealth will bring us happiness. Yet the irony is that we spend years trying to attain status in society and work hard to build our financial security, only to discover, when we have reached the top and possess more than enough for the rest of our lives, that these things do not bring happiness in themselves. Honour can become a form of slavery and a loss of freedom, while money can become a burden that results in the loss of true friendships. It remains merely a number if we are unable to use it meaningfully.
That is why many who reach the peak of success eventually realise that only what is given away brings true happiness. Position, social connections, and status cannot bring fulfilment unless they are used for the good of society, especially for those who are poor or in need. Wealth too cannot bring happiness unless it is shared for the development and well-being of others. This was what Solomon discovered after many years as king. Though he possessed everything, he found life to be vanity. “So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” (Eccl 2:9-11). It will indeed be a rude awakening for those who spend a lifetime pursuing worldly success, only to realise at the end of their days that they were chasing after the wind.
This is also true when it comes to sin. Many of us resist following the laws of God. In our stubbornness, we insist on having things our own way and choose how we want to live. Yet, as a consequence, we hurt ourselves and those around us. When we begin to see how our actions have caused suffering to our loved ones, friends, and colleagues, we are often filled with regret for what we have done.
In the face of divine correction, we can either repent or resist. Some resent the judgment of God and become vindictive or angry with God and with the world. Such negative reactions to suffering only deepen their pain, lead to further mistakes, and exact a higher price for their sins. Indeed, many resist change even when the Word is preached to them, like the Pharisees during the time of Jesus. “They demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.'”
But if, like David, we accept the consequences of our sins, we will learn and grow from the pains that we bear. A positive approach to the sufferings that arise from our trials will make us stronger and better rather than bitter. The psalmist says, “It was good for me to be afflicted, to learn your statutes. The law from your mouth means more to me than silver and gold.” When we begin to accept the sufferings that come our way positively, instead of fighting against them, we will suffer less and begin to understand the truth of God’s laws. So long as we remain angry and resistant, we will not have the humility needed to recognize the wisdom of God’s laws.
Most of all, we come to accept that God’s judgment is right and wise. “Lord, I know that your decrees are right, that you afflicted me justly.” Believing that the sufferings God permits to befall us are ultimately for our growth and for our good is the way to grow in wisdom. David, after his sin with Bathsheba, said, “I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.” (Ps 51:4) With the psalmist, we too can say, “Before I was afflicted I strayed, but now I keep your word. You are good and your deeds are good; teach me your statutes.” God’s ways are always perfect, and they are meant to lead us to healing and salvation.
By recognising the wisdom of God in the trials He permits us to undergo, we also open our eyes to the ways He consoles us. The psalmist says, “Let your love be ready to console me by your promise to your servant.” Hosea wrote, “It is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up.” (Hos 6:1) Job expressed the same conviction: “For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands heal.” (Job 5:18) In turn, we learn to forgive ourselves and to forgive others as well. This is why St James wrote that faith is tested in order to produce patience, and that patience must have its full effect so that we may become fully mature and complete, lacking in nothing. As we forgive ourselves for our folly, we also learn to be patient with others who are ignorant or even incorrigible, recognising that, like us, they may be blinded by pride and greed.
In the final analysis, true wisdom does not come simply from our trials alone but from God, who sends us His Holy Spirit to grant us wisdom and counsel in prayer. This explains why St James wrote, “If there is any one of you who needs wisdom, he must ask God, who gives to all freely and ungrudgingly; it will be given to him. But he must ask with faith, and no trace of doubt, because a person who has doubts is like the waves thrown up in the sea when the wind drives. That sort of person, in two minds, wavering between going different ways, must not expect that the Lord will give him anything.” Faith in God, no matter what happens, is the ultimate wisdom. Trust in His divine providence, mercy, and love enables us to endure the vicissitudes of life — joy and sorrow, success and failure, health and illness, abundance and want. When we enter into prayer, we begin to share the mind and heart of Jesus, seeing life as He sees it. We then learn to adopt His attitudes, as taught in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Mt 5:1-11).
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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