“The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it and were seeking a way to put him to death, yet they feared him because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.”
— Mark 11:18
The enemies of Jesus were not astonished by His miracles nearly so much as by His teaching. Miracles may dazzle the eye, but teaching threatens the heart. A miracle can be admired from a distance; a teaching demands a decision.
The crowd recognized that Jesus spoke not as a man repeating borrowed opinions but as one who knew reality from the inside. His words carried the strange authority of a carpenter explaining the architecture of the universe.
“While Leo XIII spoke in his time of ‘new things’ (rerum novarum), today we cannot limit ourselves simply to repeating his insightful teachings. Instead, we must ask God for the wisdom to interpret the great trends of our time, particularly technological advances.”
Pope Leo XIV reminds me that every age receives new tools but not a new Gospel. The challenge is not whether technology exists, but whether wisdom accompanies it. Humanity has always made tools; now our tools increasingly appear to be remaking us.
2. Meditatio
AI is astonishing, yet GI—God’s Intelligence—is even more so.
I find myself increasingly fascinated by artificial intelligence. It can summarize libraries, answer questions in seconds, compose essays, generate images, and even assist me in writing these daily Lectio Divinas. It is a remarkable tool, and I would be foolish to deny it.
Yet standing before today’s Gospel and Pope Leo’s reflection, I am reminded that intelligence alone is not wisdom.
The fig tree in today’s Gospel appeared healthy from a distance. It possessed leaves. It projected success. It advertised fruitfulness. Yet when Christ approached, He found no fruit.
Artificial intelligence sometimes strikes me as a similar temptation. It can produce leaves everywhere—information, analysis, predictions, images, and words. But whether it bears fruit depends entirely on the soul that uses it.
Without God, intelligence becomes merely calculation. It knows how but not why. It can measure value but cannot tell us what is valuable. It can optimize efficiency but cannot define goodness.
The madman is not the man who has lost his reason, but the man who has lost everything except his reason. Our age risks precisely that danger. We possess machines of dazzling intelligence while often forgetting the source of wisdom itself.
For any intelligence not derived from God eventually becomes what I jokingly call NI—No Intelligence. Not because it lacks information, but because it lacks purpose.
The question before me is not whether I should use AI. The question is whether I will allow God’s Intelligence to teach me how to use it.
For GI teaches humility where AI teaches capability. GI teaches wonder where AI teaches efficiency. GI teaches love where AI teaches optimization.
The leaves are impressive. Christ is still looking for fruit.
3. Oratio
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Eternal Word through whom all things were made.
Teach me to value wisdom above information, truth above novelty, and holiness above efficiency.
When I become fascinated by what human beings can create, remind me to marvel first at the Creator.
Bless the minds of scientists, engineers, teachers, and all who labor to advance knowledge.
May every human invention serve the dignity of the human person and the common good.
And when I am tempted to trust in my own cleverness, teach me again to sit quietly at Your feet.
Saint Paul VI lived during a century intoxicated by progress. He witnessed airplanes, radio, television, computers, space travel, and the beginnings of the digital revolution. Yet he never confused progress with salvation.
Indeed, he understood something profoundly Chestertonian: every machine ultimately reveals the character of its operator.
A steam engine can pull pilgrims toward a shrine or soldiers toward a battlefield. A printing press can publish Scripture or propaganda. Artificial intelligence can help spread truth or multiply confusion.
The machine is never the final question. The soul is.
Christ did not come merely to make us smarter. He came to make us saints.
The world marvels at intelligence. Heaven rejoices at wisdom.
And wisdom begins not with knowing many things but with knowing Who made all things.
5. Actio — In Light of Laudato Si’ and Synodality
The development of the Church’s social teaching represents such a synthesis with regard to social issues; this teaching is called to be enriched by taking up new challenges.
“What we call ‘nature’ in its cosmic sense has its origin in ‘a plan of love and truth’… The world ‘is not the product of any necessity whatsoever, nor of blind fate or chance’” (Benedict XVI, Message for the 2010 World Day of Peace, 6); moreover, “other living beings have a value of their own in God’s eyes… By virtue of our unique dignity and our gift of intelligence, we are called to respect creation and its inherent laws” (LS 69)
Laudato Si’ repeatedly warns against what Pope Francis calls the “technocratic paradigm”—the illusion that every human problem can be solved through greater technical mastery.
Action:
Today I will practice using technology gratefully but not uncritically.
In a spirit of synodality, I will listen carefully to others, remembering that discernment cannot be delegated to machines. Community, prayer, and conscience remain essential.
Before using any tool, I will ask a simple question:
Does this help me love God, my neighbor, and creation more fully?
If the answer is no, then even the most impressive technology is bearing leaves rather than fruit.
6. Song Pairing 🎵
🎶 “Teach Your Children” — Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young🎵
Every generation imagines it is teaching the next, only to discover that God is patiently teaching them both. Wisdom travels best when carried in humility.
7. Movie Pairing 🎬
Conrack (1974)
A teacher enters a forgotten place and discovers that true education is not filling minds with facts but awakening hearts to wonder. Christ remains the greatest teacher because He teaches us how to live.
