Dear Preachers:

“First things first.”  It’s what we say when we have a lot to do and need to set priorities. What are the most important things that must be done? What’s at the top of my list? In our first reading Solomon is speaking to us today. He seems to get it right: first things first. Solomon, the son of David, went to offer sacrifice at the shrine of Gibeon. That night he had a dream in which God made an offer to him. “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” (1 Kings 3: 4-9)

We can pause right here and ask: if God made that same offer to me, what would I ask for? The answer to that question will certainly reveal where my heart lies; where I am investing my life; what I am most focused on. Solomon’s response showed his values; what he considered most important. He is the son of David and heir to the throne. He knows what he needs to be a good ruler, so he asks God for, “an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” (1 Kings 3:9) As he put it in our reading today, “I prayed and prudence was given me I pleaded and the spirit of wisdom came to me.“

He certainly got a huge portion of the wisdom he prayed for and, when he succeeded his father to the throne, he was known for his wisdom. Even in our modern speech, we refer to a particularly wise person as having, “the wisdom of Solomon.“

Our reading today calls us to look over our lives and, if necessary, re-order them. What needs to go to the top of our list: first things first? We join Solomon in his prayer, asking God for the “spirit of wisdom,“ and, as he did, to put aside lesser things, which seem so important to others. Listen to Solomon: “I preferred her [wisdom] to scepter and throne and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand and before her, silver is to be accepted as mire.” It doesn’t take a scripture scholar to get the point Solomon is making

From Solomon‘s prayer, we are reminded that wisdom is a gift that God wants to freely give us. He is encouraging us to sincerely seek it. This Eucharist is a good time and place to put our request for wisdom before the Lord as we listen to God’s Word and receive Wisdom incarnate in the Eucharist.

Jesus asked the same sacrifice and commitment of the rich man. Frequently people will say they are “blessed“ because they are healthy, have a good family, comfortable home, food to eat, etc. What does that say about people who lack these “blessings” because of poverty, sickness, civil conflict, etc. Are they not “blessed?” Are they left out of God’s loving care and concern?

The rich man and his contemporaries would have regarded his wealth as a sign of God‘s blessing. And more. They would have attributed their “blessings“ to their faithful observance of the law. Which was suggested by the man’s response to Jesus’ listing of the commandments. “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” To that response Mark tells us, Jesus looked at him with love and invited him to sell everything and join the rest of his disciples. “Go sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

But if he gives up his worldly possessions, what will he have to show he is “blessed“ by God? He will have Jesus, God’s true and lasting blessing, which will not fade as earthly possessions do. Salvation isn’t something we earn by keeping commandments, but is God‘s gift which we accept, and then follow Jesus’ way — the call to discipleship.

Are we like the man who see security and a sense of well-being in what we own? Can we hear Jesus’ invitation to well-being, not in what is transient, subject to decay, but in him? Even his disciples, those already following him, were dismayed by Jesus’ exchange with the man. Weren’t they already following him? Hadn’t they heard his teachings on their journey with him? It is clear they have more to learn.

I find the passage challenging, but also reassuring We have already signed on to follow Jesus. But we realize our commitment to him, at times, may be half hearted, especially when, in his name, we are called to make sacrifices and face opposition. What I find encouraging is what Jesus tells his already- committed followers, who hear the challenge he puts to the man and to them. In dismay, they ask, “Then who can be saved? Mark says, “Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings, it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” He assures them and us, that God can make possible what we cannot achieve on our own – being his disciples in our daily, sometimes conflicted lives. And, isn’t that the true “blessing” we yearn for and receive from God this day?

As we approach election day, we ask God to give wisdom to those running for political office. Whatever our political preferences, those making decisions that affect so many in our land and in our world, need wisdom to guide and to rule justly. The Book of Wisdom calls us to turn away from false gods and misplaced priorities to the one true God, who is the source of all wisdom.

Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101324.cfm