Deacon Tom Writes,
There are times when we all struggle with making the right decision about some weighty problem we face. Many times, we don’t like the options that we have to resolve the problem either. But there inevitably will come a time that we have to make a decision and move forward, hoping that, with our planning and praying, things will work out for the best.
Solomon is a good example for us to consider when we face difficult decisions or are dealing with some of the more complex problems in life. I suspect that Solomon was a bit anxious about following in his father’s footsteps as King of Israel. I’m sure that he gave much thought to how he would fit into his big shoes and worried about the type of king he would be both consciously...and subconsciously.
It seems that Solomon really wanted to be a good king. He wanted to be a leader who would place God’s people above his own narrow interest, just like his father, David, before him. He worried, perhaps, that he would not be “a man after God’s own heart” as was said of his father. It’s not surprising then that when given the chance, Solomon has a very special request for the Lord. He asks for an understanding heart with which to govern God’s people.
Solomon’s desire to be a just and wise Sovereign is a reminder that when we make unselfish choices in life there is a ripple effect that touches the lives of so many others and in some way are pleasing to God. I believe that we are all basically good people, all of us, even if at times “all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Rom 3:23 as St. Paul tells us. We fail to live up that that better version of ourselves that following in the footsteps of Jesus asks of us. We do bad things but that doesn’t make us bad people. We are all God’s children and He doesn’t abandon us when we turn inward and walk away from Him… Thank God! We, His Children, can be benevolent and kind; we can make choices beyond our own narrow self-interest; we can rise to serve the common good and strive to love one another in fulfillment of the Great Commandment. Solomon’s prayer reminds us to look to God for help in making the right choices in life and, if we do that, all that we do will be pleasing to him.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacs engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those thinking of coming into or leaving it.
OTHER RESOURCE
Recommended Reading: Doing the Truth in Love: Conversations about God, Relationships and Service by Fr Michael Himes. An engaging theology of God/human relationships and service to assist readers in reflecting more faithfully and more theologically on their own lives as they engage in pastoral ministry or service projects.
Recommended YouTube Video: Finding God in All Things with Fr. Michael Himes. Fr. Himes was a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York and served as a theologian at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He served as professor and academic dean of the Seminary of Immaculate Conception on Long Island, New York, and as associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. He was a well-known author and lecturer.
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