All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan; But either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water, or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods. Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them. Or if they were struck by their might and energy, let them from these things realize how much more powerful is he who made them. For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen. But yet, for these the blame is less; For they indeed have gone astray perhaps, though they seek God and wish to find him. For they search busily among his works, but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair. But again, not even these are pardonable. For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its Lord?
Did you ever play the board game called “Clue”? It’s a murder mystery you have to solve by determining the suspect, the murder weapon, and the room in the mansion where the murder happened. For example, it could have been Miss. Scarlett in the Study with a revolver. Now, the game was originally invented in England and called “Cluedo,” while the American version is simply called “Clue.” Apparently, they’ve recently developed a Fort Smith version of the game with new suspects and weapons. So, now the solution could be Deacon Greg in the pop-up tent with a sleeping bag. Everyone is getting this for Christmas! But we play “clue” in real life all the time, don’t we, in searching for our missing keys. We follow clues, we ask other people’s help, we go into different rooms and we retrace our steps. Clue is a fun game, but it’s also real life.
In the first reading from Wisdom, we learn that Clue is also a great way to understand our spiritual life. The author of Wisdom teaches: “For from the greatness and the beauty of created things, their original author, by analogy, is seen.” In other words, in the spiritual game of Clue, we’re all searching for a Suspect, in this case not someone who has committed a murder, but someone who gives eternal life, namely, God. And the whole created cosmos is scattered with clues to help us find God. We are all searching for something, not just for Dc. Greg or our car keys, and all the clues we find will lead us back to God.
My friends, let me invite you to see your whole life as a kind of “Who Dun It” mystery in which everything that happens, and every person you meet is a clue to help you find the divine Suspect, God. Think of all the things that happen in your life: your parents, where you were born, your siblings, your religion, your talents, your weaknesses, your friends, your jobs, your spouse, your children, your priests, your barber, your hairdresser, your neighbors, your awards, your blunders, your vacations, your books, your schools, your lunch, your supper, your successes, and yes, even your sins, absolutely everything in your life is a clue to help you find God. That’s why morning Mass is packed with people who have not only gathered lots of clues (because they’ve lived a long time), but people who’ve figured out “who dun it”! They know the Suspect they’ve been searching for their whole life is really “Jesus, in the heart, with a Cross.” You see, the game of Clue, is not just a game.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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