1 Kings 3:4-13 / Mark
6:30-34
An old Irish blessing reads: “May
there always be work for your hand to do. May your purse always hold a coin or
two. “May the sun always shine on your
windowpane. May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. “May the hand of a friend
always be near you. May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.” Solomon
composes his own blessing in today’s reading, and God grants it. One of the
most beautiful lines in Solomon’s request is for an “understanding heart” to
judge his people.
****
If we could compose a blessing that
God would grant us,
what would we ask for, above all
else? “I touch my heart as the Easterners do: May the peace of Allah abide with
you. Wherever you come, wherever you go, May the beautiful palms of Allah grow.”
Author unknown
****
We know that life is a continuous
learning process. This learning process is manifested in the quest for
knowledge which can be attained through education and reading and research. As
it is, we are often measured by the quality of our knowledge, especially when
it comes to a job requirement. Yet knowledge does not stand alone.
Knowledge goes hand-in-hand with
wisdom, and they complement each other. To put it simply, knowledge is knowing
the answer, wisdom is giving life to the answer.
In the 1st reading, when King
Solomon asked for wisdom from God, it was not that he did not know how to rule.
He had experienced advisers with him. Rather he was asking God to make him a
good king, a king who knows what God wants and to carry it out. We need wisdom
to see what is vital and necessary because we can get too absorbed with our
busyness and get too focused on achievements.
In the gospel, even Jesus had to
tell His apostles, who had just come back from successful missions and feeling
high, to go off to a lonely place and rest and of course to pray. In the
spiritual sense, we need the wisdom to come to know the Lord whom we are
working for instead of just doing the work of the Lord. Wisdom is also
necessary for self-knowledge and to get a good picture of ourselves.
I came across another version of
the popular Serenity prayer and it goes like this: God, grant me the serenity to
accept the people I cannot change, the courage to face the one I can change, and
the wisdom to know it is me!
*****
Saturday of 4th Week: Liturgy
A COMPASSIONATE SHEPHERD
Introduction
As a young and
inexperienced king, Solomon prays to the Lord for practical wisdom in leading
his people and dispensing justice. His people is after all God’s people. Moved
by Solomon’s unselfish request, God promises him not only wisdom but riches and
glory as well.
What a pity if our world
would become so heartless as to do away with compassion? We hear in today’s
Good News that God shows in Jesus that he cares for us with a love deeper and
more tender than that of a mother for the child to which she had given life. He
is particularly close to those who need him most: the weak, those who suffer,
the abandoned, and those who count for nothing. That is the love he showed us
in Jesus; that is the love he invites us to have for one another: deep, tender,
lasting, and not afraid of showing itself.
Opening Prayer
Our loving God, your Son
Jesus, has revealed you to us as more warmhearted, tender and compassionate than
any mother could ever be. Be near to all who are wounded in life, care for the
little people trampled upon. Make all those who follow your Son people who can
forgive and heal, who make themselves like nourishing bread for all who are
hungry in any way. Make us care for one another as you care for us through
Jesus, your Son and our Lord for ever.
Commentary
The wisdom of Solomon was
a matter of the heart. We generally identify wisdom with the intellect. For the
Hebrews, the heart was the seat of intelligence and wise judgment. In embarking
on his kingship, Solomon prays for wisdom, as he realizes that decision making
and judgment will form an integral part of his calling. He prays that as a
judge he will not be swayed to follow any path except that of justice and
fairness. Yahweh hears his request—one that did not center on perishable
goods—and assures the king that it will be granted. It will be a wisdom that
surpasses any that preceded or followed. In modern society, there is a
continual emphasis on good and qualified judges, magistrates who interpret the
law and do not rewrite it. Unfortunately, some of those who hold judicial
office are unduly influenced by their own political philosophies. But this is
true for all of us—we all have personal convictions that can influence our approach
to thorny questions. The judge prays for an objectivity that will enable him to
judge fairly, and so do we. Wisdom was a gift that Solomon evidently enjoyed in
good measure. Our own times have not lacked good and qualified judges. This
does not, of course, mean that their decisions always meet with unanimous
acceptance. They too are human and, with Solomon, must pray for enlightenment.
Points to Ponder
The understanding heart
The judge as interpreter
of the law
Fairness and honesty
“from the bench”
Intercessions
– That we may be grateful
to God for all the mercy and compassion he shows us, we pray:
– That God’s people may
learn to be a compassionate community to all those who suffer and to those who
are trampled upon, we pray:
– That we may be people
of peace, who try to understand one another and seek reconciliation when we are
divided, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
compassionate Father, in these signs of bread and wine, we welcome your Son,
Jesus Christ, as our Good Shepherd who died for us, to give direction to our
life. Let us feel how much he is familiar with our weariness and our miseries, that
he listens when we turn to him, that he is present when we need him. We ask
this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our loving and caring
God, we thank you with all our hearts for giving us a sure guide, who feels
with us and knows where he leads us, your Son, Jesus Christ. Keep giving to
your Church today pastors in the image of your Son. Let them be full of
compassion and vision, sensitive to people and their needs, open to the demands
and potentials of the Gospel and of our times. Make them good shepherds in the
image of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing’ In the Bible, to have compassion means literally “to feel
in the depth of one’s bowels.” We would say in the depth of our heart. To be
close in fidelity and compassion to others. That is God’s way with us. Let it
be our way with one another, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.