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What Do You Ask of God?

My brothers and sisters, in today’s readings we hear about one main topic: wisdom. The wisdom about which Scripture speaks is not something that a person can learn or buy with money. It is also not something that is guaranteed by age. Wisdom is not a matter of good will or even a person’s special aptitude for it.

True wisdom is a gift from the Holy Spirit.

As we see from the first reading from the First Book of Kings, God gives the gift of wisdom to each person who seeks to follow the right way, even in the midst of joys and difficulties, suffering and pain. God bestows the gift of wisdom on those who humbly ask for it, as Solomon asked for the gift of understanding and a heart to judge and distinguish between right and wrong, and God gave him wisdom along with everything else: riches, fame, and a long life on the earth.

God comes to us every day and tells each one of us: “Ask something of Me and I will give it to you.” Each day we are called as Christians to respond. What do you ask God for in your daily lives? Do you ask Him for wisdom or for your sanctification? Or do you ask him for riches, for fame, for intelligence, for a long life? Do not be afraid of your answer to this question. Stand in truth before God about it. Part of wisdom is discovering who we are—discovering that God Loves us as we are, with all of the truth about us. On our part, all that God calls us to do is imitate Solomon, who acknowledged his weakness before the Lord as a “mere youth” and awaited everything from Him.

Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur

Readings for the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time: Lectionary 109