Inner Wisdom

Teaching Wisdom Literature from the Hebrew Scriptures is a new learning for me each time. One project which has become tradition is for each seminary student to make a Wisdom House during the semester. This Wisdom House is a graphic illustration of a journal each has been keeping as they discover new things about themselves and the world around them. Each year the houses seem to become more elaborate and creative.

This is a story about Chase and maybe me.

Chase had taken another class of mine and when I saw his name on the roster for Wisdom Lit., I found myself saying, “Oh no.” From the first day in class, he challenged most everything I said. He was polite enough, but he did get under my skin. I found myself reading extra articles and books and even keeping a journal, but I never was able to guess where he’d go and as a result take the class.

On the first day of class I would give the assignment for Wisdom Houses. I was ready for Chase to object, but he was surprisingly silent. He seemed to be more reflective this time round and I was relieved.

Before long, it was the day of their final. Great excitement was tangible as everyone began to bring in their houses. Their final was to explain their experience in whatever way they chose. Some wrote a paper. Some gave an oral presentation. Others even created a video. They all knew that each color, design, word, shrubbery had to be an expression of something they learned. They were to leave their houses out for display until the last day.

Then it was Chase’s turn. I hadn’t seen what he brought in until he was standing in front of the class. When I saw it, I hoped I did not show my surprise and disappointment. His house was a wreck. It looked like he spent half an hour on it the night before.

He held out his house and said, “What you see is not always what you get.” He put his house on the table and sat down.

When everyone left, I picked up Chase’s house. I hadn’t seen the note before. It said, “All are welcome, please come inside.” No one had ever done anything with the inside of their house before. I opened the door which was hinged in such a way that the whole front side opened.

I was stunned.

The inside was the most beautifully, carefully crafted of anything I had seen. There were rooms for the homeless, rooms for persons who had no friends, rooms for LGBTGI+, there were rooms for atheists and agnostics, there were rooms for persons who found God in other religions – not just other Christian traditions, OTHER religions.

That day, that moment, I understood what it means to be a teacher because I could admit I learned from a student. I wept tears of gratitude to learn wisdom from a 30-something.

Pat Pickett, OblSB

Photo: Chase’s Wisdom House. Taken by Pat Pickett.