20240207 THE WISDOM OF KNOWING WHERE OUR HAPPINESS LIES
07 February 2024, Wednesday, 5th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | 1 Kings 10:1-10 © |
The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon
The fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Sheba, she came to test him with difficult questions. She brought immense riches to Jerusalem with her, camels laden with spices, great quantities of gold, and precious stones. On coming to Solomon, she opened her mind freely to him; and Solomon had an answer for all her questions, not one of them was too obscure for the king to expound. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the accommodation for his officials, the organisation of his staff and the way they were dressed, his cup-bearers, and the holocausts he offered in the Temple of the Lord, it left her breathless, and she said to the king, ‘What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom was true, then! Until I came and saw it with my own eyes I could not believe what they told me, but clearly they told me less than half: for wisdom and prosperity you surpass the report I heard. How happy your wives are! How happy are these servants of yours who wait on you always and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God who has granted you his favour, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s everlasting love for Israel, he has made you king to deal out law and justice.’ And she presented the king with a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spices and precious stones; no such wealth of spices ever came again as those given to King Solomon by the queen of Sheba.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 36(37):5-6,30-31,39-40 © |
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom
and his lips speak what is right;
the law of his God is in his heart,
his steps shall be saved from stumbling.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 7:14-23 © |
It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean
Jesus called the people to him and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
When he had gone back into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, ‘Do you not understand either? Can you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot make him unclean, because it does not go into his heart but through his stomach and passes out into the sewer?’ (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.) And he went on, ‘It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
THE WISDOM OF KNOWING WHERE OUR HAPPINESS LIES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1KGS 10:1-10; Ps 37:5-6,30-31,39-40; Mk 7:14-23]
In the first reading, we read how the fame of Solomon reached even the Queen of Sheba, who travelled from a faraway country to personally see for herself what she had heard about the wisdom of Solomon. “What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom was true, then! Until I came and saw it with my own eyes I could not believe what they told me, but clearly they told me less than half: for wisdom and prosperity you surpass the report I heard.” She tested Solomon with difficult questions and was impressed by his ability to answer them with clarity. She was impressed not just by his wisdom but also his administrative skills – in the way he organized his palace, the welfare he provided for his official and staff, giving them dignity and pride in their work. She was edified also by Solomon’s devotion to his God through the offerings in the Temple.
Her conclusion was that Israel was blessed to have such a wise and benevolent King. Anyone who worked for him was truly blessed. “How happy your wives are! How happy are these servants of yours who wait on you always and hear your wisdom!” Indeed, the picture of Solomon presented by the Queen of Sheba was really impressive. We are told that after hearing and seeing all these things for herself, she was left breathless. So much so, she paid tribute and homage to King Solomon by “offering him a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spices and precious stones; no such wealth of spices ever came again as those given to King Solomon by the queen of Sheba.”
However, the Queen of Sheba ascribed his achievements not to him, but to God who had blessed him. “Blessed be the Lord your God who has granted you his favour, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s everlasting love for Israel, he has made you king to deal out law and justice.” Perhaps this is the most important takeaway of today’s first reading. None of us, including King Solomon, must ever become too proud of ourselves, thinking that our success and wisdom are due to us. Rather, God answered the prayers of King Solomon when he assumed the throne, for he asked for wisdom to rule the people. In humility, he said to the Lord when the Lord told him to ask what he wanted from Him, “I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” (1 Kg 3:7-9) And the Lord was delighted at his humble request and said, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you.” (1 Kg 3:10-14) However, there was a condition to all these. “If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.” (1 Kg 3:14)
Unfortunately, Solomon forgot his promises to the Lord. He forgot the advice of his father who instructed him at his deathbed, “Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.” (1 Kg 2:2f) This is the real temptation of the Evil One. When we become rich and successful, we forget our position in life; that we are no better than others, and that we are all servants and creatures of our Lord. We begin to allow our wealth, power and fame to control us. We think we are on top of the world and everything is within our reach and everyone is at our beck and call. We forget that God is the source of our blessings, and we do not walk in His statutes and laws. Indeed, the bible tells us that the cause of Solomon’s downfall was his lack of fidelity to the Covenant and to the Lord. He married many foreign wives who brought with them the worship of their pagan gods to Israel. He supported them by constructing high places of worship for these gods. But that was not all. He even participated in worshipping the pagan gods, thus committing idolatry and breaking covenant with the God of Israel.
When God withdrew His blessings from King Solomon, he degenerated further. He was obsessed with wealth and imposed heavy taxes on the people. He led a lavish lifestyle, constructing a huge palace and made the people pay for it. He put his ambitions above his people. He introduced forced labour to construct his palace and the Temple. He practised favouritism by exempting his own people from forced labour and taxes. These practices led to discontent and unhappiness. Eventually, the people revolted against him.
We should thus not be overly impressed when we see external achievements. These things do not last and will pass with time. Men are forgetful of their humble origins in life. When they become successful, they start to think highly of themselves. They become insensitive to the feelings and struggles of their fellowmen. Instead of using their blessings of wealth, power and fame to uplift the lives of their fellowmen, they focus on their own interests. They forget about God and their neighbours. They lack gratitude to God and their fellowmen for helping them to be what they are today. In truth, our success and blessings are due to the help that God and our fellowmen have given to us. On our own, we can do nothing. We must give glory and praise to God in thanksgiving so that we know our place.
For this reason, Jesus in the gospel reminds us to go beyond external observances of the law. Solomon may have sacrificed holocausts to God in the Temple, but his heart was far from Him. Jesus wanted to bring His people to focus on what was really important. He wanted us to go beyond observing the hygiene laws. These customs were certainly useful to preserve the health of the people, but they would not be able to make them happy in life. Happiness in life is not just about having good health and nice food to eat. Rather, happiness in life concerns the condition of our heart. This was why the Lord said, “Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean.” What we eat will not affect us spiritually in our relationship with God, unless they make us do harmful things, like when one gets drunk or gets addicted to drugs.
Rather, the Lord told His disciples, “It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.” Truly, when the heart is evil, when the mind is filthy, negative and proud, the person will not able to find happiness. An evil heart and a proud mind will lead to all kinds of sin. Unhappiness begins from within ourselves. It begins with the heart and mind, and when expressed in our selfish actions towards our fellowmen, it causes harm and injury. This will lead to greater division, retaliation and revenge. Eventually, we will find ourselves having to defend ourselves against our enemies. We begin to be suspicious of each other. We find no peace within and within.
So true wisdom is when one walks in the knowledge of the Lord and according to the wisdom of His commandments. This is why, the psalmist reminds us, “Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will act, so that your justice breaks forth like the light, your cause like the noon-day sun. The just man’s mouth utters wisdom and his lips speak what is right; the law of his God is in his heart, his steps shall be saved from stumbling.” This is the way to walk in Wisdom, like the young King Solomon, and we will prosper in life, living with joy.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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