The Book of Wisdom may seem a little unfair when it declares that "all men were foolish who were ignorant of God". And St Paul, in Chapter 1 of Romans, says that the author of Wisdom blames people for not discovering the existence of God through the wonders and glories of creation. If ancient people considered "fire", or wind, or the swift air ... as gods", we might more sympathetically see them as searching for something beyond their grasp.

Thus, the First Commandment is an excellent principle of liberation. Once we accept the reality and uniqueness of God, who speaks and acts in history, we no longer have need to look to fire or wind or any other created thing to provide us with some revelation of the meaning of our existence. As Christians, we are, of course, called to greater gratitude, for God, whom we accept as the Blessed Trinity, acted and spoke in an imperative, gracious and salvific way in Jesus of Nazareth, Our Lord and Saviour.

When we see others struggling to discover some meaning in life, we should be even more grateful for the gift of faith in Christ Jesus.