All Catholics, and indeed all Christians, need to regularly reflect on the Confiteor especially the portion where we confess to the Almighty God and to our brethren that we have grievously sinned in "my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do." In it, we acknowledge that sin is not limited to what we have done alone but it extends even to what we have willfully failed to do. We do not offend God's justice only by commission but also by omission, our willful refusal to do what we possess the capacity to do and what we have been provided the opportunity to do.

At creation and in practical display of Divine love, God made everything that man would need for his sustenance before making Adam. The Creator further brought all things to Adam and had him name all things thereby acquiring authority over the rest of creation. God completed His delegation of stewardship over creation to man by blessing him and admonishing him to "be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28). To be able to fulfill this Divine directive, man has acquired knowledge and has evolved various systems of leadership.

The Book of Genesis designated the eating of the forbidden fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden as the reason for the fall of man from where we acquire the tendency to sin. Prompted by pride and the inordinate desire to be his own god, Adam the first man committed the original sin of disobedience and brought upon the whole humankind separation from a loving Creator. At a time He considered appropriate for the redemption of man, God the Father sent His only begotten Son who in obedience to the Father's will, took flesh and died on the cross to destroy death, the consequence of sin and to restore all of creation to a righteous relationship with the Father.

Last weekend, the Readings at the Liturgy expounded upon the wisdom of humility which enabled us to acquire a realistic estimation of self, sets a solid foundation for a cordial relationship with others and ultimately leading us to a righteous relationship with God; this weekend, the Readings continue to throw light on the efficacy of wisdom in our lives.

The First Reading taken from the Book of Wisdom reinforced the need for intellectual humility which allows us to be perpetually conscious of the fact that our understanding of the world is limited. We are able to see the realistic boundaries of what we can know which is especially clear when our knowledge is compared to the limitless knowledge of God.