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From: 1 Kings 3:5-12

Solomon’s Request of God (Continuation)

[4] And the king (Solomon) went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the
great high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings upon that
altar. [5] At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and
God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” [6] And Solomon said, “Thou hast shown
great and steadfast love to thy servant David my father, because he walked before
thee in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward thee; and
thou hast kept for him this great and steadfast love, and hast given him a son to
sit on his throne this day. [7] And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy ser-
vant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know
how to go out or come in. [8] And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom
thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multi-
tude. [9] Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people,
that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great
people?”

[10] lt pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. [11] And God said to him,
“Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches
or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern
what is right, [12] behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a
wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none
like you shall arise after you. [13] I give you also what you have not asked, both
riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.”

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Commentary:

3:1-11:1:43. The reign of Solomon became idealized in the memory of Israel.
The sacred writer of 1 and 2 Kings gives him much more space than any other
king. First we are shown his wisdom (3:1-5:14), which would become proverbial
and would cause wisdom books such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Book
of Wisdom to be attributed to him, and also poetical books such as the Song of
Songs and a collection of Psalms. He then goes on to deal with the king’s public
works programme (5:15-9:9), especially the building of the temple and its dedica-
tion, for that temple would become the center of the religious life of the people.
On these two scores Solomon became famous inside and outside Israel, as
explained in 9:10-10:29. Finally, with a realism rare among historians of the
time, the writer exposes the king’s sins and failings towards the end of his
reign (11:1-40).

The reign of Solomon is depicted in these chapters in all its splendor—and all its
weakness. The splendor derives from the wisdom with which God endows the
king (3:1-5:14) and is to be found in Solomon’s great buildings (especially the
temple: 5:15-7:51), in his prayer at the dedication of the temple (8:1-9:9) and in
the booming commerce which gives Solomon great prestige and untold wealth
(9:10-10:29). The king’s weakness lies in his unfaithfulness to God, for, to please
his foreign wives, he introduces the worship of other gods into the country. There
are political weaknesses, too: cracks are appearing in the (north-south) union,
and enemies exist inside and outside the state (11:1-40).

3:1-5:14. The most important trait of Solomon is his wisdom, to which our Lord
refers in the Gospel (cf. Mt 12:45). The sacred writer shows here the source and
evidence of that wisdom: it is a gift from God, his answer to the king’s prayer
(3:12-14), and it can be seen in the way Solomon administers justice (3:16-28)
and in the way that court and kingdom are organized, that is, in the typical func-
tions of a king (4:1-24). The more he acts with wisdom, the wiser he becomes
(4:29-34).

3:2-14. The “high places” (v. 2) were altars built in open country, on the top of
some hill, and under a shady tree, where Canaanites and Israelites of this period
offered sacrifices to the divinity. From the time of King Josiah’s reform in 622 this
type of worship was expressly forbidden in case the worship of God should be-
come associated with worship of local gods, baals (cf. 2 Kings 23:4-20).

Gibeon, about 10 km. (6 miles) northwest of Jerusalem, belonged to the tribe of
Benjamin (cf. Josh 18:25) and was one of the cities given over to the Levites (cf.
Josh 21:17) in which according to Chronicles, the desert tent or tabernacle was
kept for a time (cf. 1 Chron 21:29). The fact that the Lord should speak to Solo-
mon here also means that he is confirming him as king of Israel.

Solomon’s request pleases the Lord because it is made with humility (cf. v. 7)
and because he asks not for material things but for “an understanding mind” so
as to be able to govern well (vv. 9-14). Solomon’s request is an anticipation of the
proper order which, according to Christ’s teaching, should be present in prayer of
petition: “The one Master and Lord teaches us how and in what order we ought to
pray to God for the things we want; since we indicate and express our desires and
petitions in, prayer, then we pray properly and well when the order of our petitions
matches the right order of desires. True charity teaches us that we ought to dedi-
cate ourselves and all our desires to God; God, the supreme Good, deserves the
highest form of love. And God cannot be loved from the heart, exclusively, if his
honor and glory are not valued above all other things and creatures; all good things,
those we have and those we do not possess, all things that are called good, must
be subordinated to the supreme Good from whom they derive their goodness”
(”Roman Catechism”, 4, 10, 1).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Romans 8:28-30

Christians are Children of God (Continuation)

[28] We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him,
who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might
be the first-born among many brethren. [30] And those whom he predestined he
also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he
justified he also glorified.

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Commentary:

28. Awareness of God as Father helps us see all the events of our life as
orchestrated by the lovable Will of God. Our Father gives us what is best for us
and expects us to discover his paternal love in adverse as well as in favorable
events. “Notice”, St Bernard points out, “that he does not say that things suit
our whims but that they work for our good. They serve not caprice but usefulness;
not pleasure but salvation; not what we desire but what is good for us. In that
sense everything works for our good, even death itself, even sin [...]. Is it not the
case that sins do good to him who on their account becomes more humble,
more fervent, more solicitous, more on guard, more prudent?” (”De Fallacia Et
Brevitate Vitae”, 6). If we have this optimistic, hopeful attitude, we will overcome
every difficulty we meet: “The whole world seems to be coming down on top of
you. Whichever way you turn you find no way out. This time, it is impossible to
overcome the difficulties.

“But, have you again forgotten that God is your Father?—all-powerful, infinitely
wise, full of mercy. He would never send you anything evil. That thing that is
worrying you is good for you, even though those earthbound eyes of yours may
not be able to see it now.

“’Omnia in bonum!’ Lord, once again and always, may your most wise Will be
done!” ([St] J. Escriva, “The Way of the Cross”, IX, 4).

29. Christ is called the “first-born” for many reasons. He is “the first-born of all
creation” (Col 1:15) because he is eternally begotten and because “all things
were made through him” (Jn 1:3). He is also the new Adam and therefore the
head of the human race in the work of redemption (cf. 1 Cor 15:22, 45). He is
“the first-born from the dead” (cf. Col 1:18; Rev 1:5) and therefore is the head
of all those who have reached heaven and all who are awaiting their future
resurrection (1 Cor 15:20, 23). Finally, he is the “first-born among many brethren”
because, in the order of grace, he gives us a share in his divine sonship: by
means of habitual grace—”sanctifying” grace—we become children of God and
brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. “For, just as God chose to communicate
to others his natural goodness, giving them a share in that goodness, so that
he might be not only good but also the author of good things; so the Son of
God chose to communicate to others a sonship like his own, so that he might
be not only a son, but the first-born of many sons” (St Thomas Aquinas,
“Commentary on Rom, ad loc.”).

This remarkable fact is what leads the Christian to imitate Christ: our divine
sonship moves us to reflect the words and gestures of his Only-begotten Son.

“Lord, help me decide to tear off, through penance, this pitiful mask I have
fashioned with my wretched doings.... Then, and only then, by following the
path of contemplation and atonement, will my life begin to copy faithfully the
features of your life. We will find ourselves becoming more and more like you.

“We will be other Christs, Christ himself, ‘ipse Christus’” ([St] J. Escriva, “The
Way of the Cross”, VI).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.