My blogs and homilies often focus on the purpose for why God created us out of His love, our need to understand what the purpose is and to share it with others. Our Gospel and readings for this Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary time give us an insight as offered with the ideas of wisdom, predestination and the Christian life.
Wisdom can be both a blessing and curse, depending on how one looks at and uses it. The young King Solomon, son of King David, in the First Letter of Kings responds to God’s question in a dream: “Ask something of Me and I will give it to you.” Nothing is limited for his response which is: “Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
Our initial response to this might be we want God to come to us in our dreams and offer us anything we want. Since we are most likely not a king or queen that rules God’s chosen people, we might ask for something else a little more practical, or at least in keeping with our current status. But haven’t we already been asked and offered by God what we want when Jesus died on the Cross for our sins and was raised from the dead, if we truly believe in God and trust in His promise of everlasting life?
Nothing! Let me repeat that: Nothing on this earth in our lifetimes will ever exceed an everlasting life of happiness, no matter what we may ask. No wealth, power or fame will ever be able to match God’s promise for eternity! Earth’s objective possibilities last only for the time we live on earth.
What Solomon wanted, and was granted, was a selfless gift in which he could care for those God created out of His love. Not only to rule them while he lived, but to make sure all understood the importance of our relationship with God and His with us forever. Mankind’s idea of a successful future focuses on people rising above others so they control their lives while on earth. Anything beyond that is luck of the draw.
In tandem with wisdom is predestination, God’s choice to share His love with us. God in creating humans realized that though His love is enough, he wanted beings that would be open in their relationship so He gave us free will to make choices. People who always agree or don’t believe they have a mind of their own can be influenced by evil forces that would negate God’s gifts to us.
St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans explains that God did not predestine those who would be saved and other to be condemned. He created people in the image and likeness of Christ in which we are called to be one in all that is offered under the new covenant with Christ’s life, death and resurrection.
St. Matthew’s Gospel with additional parables by Jesus puts into perspective the importance of wisdom and predestination to form a Christian life style. In doing so we come to realize that God’s Kingdom is the main focus of our relationship with God and all His creation here and in heaven.
Let us take this week
to look deeper into following God’s ways as His disciples by making wiser
choices of how to conduct our life as Jesus taught us when he lived on earth
and continues to show us through the help of the Holy Spirit.
Reading 1: First Kings 3: 5, 7-12
Reading 2: Romans 8: 28-30
Gospel: Matthew 13: 44-52
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