A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 6, n. 35)
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – July 27, 2008
“The Wisdom To Discern”
BIBLE READINGS
I Kgs 3:5, 7-12 // Rom 8:28-30 // Mt 13:44-52
N.B. Series 6 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year A, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 3.
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
This Sunday’s Old Testament reading (I Kgs 3:5, 7-12) tells us that Solomon’s proverbial wisdom was a gift of God. This young ruler of Israel – son of King David by Bathsheba – acceded to the royal throne in about 961 B.C. Solomon was initially an ideal king - a humble, benevolent ruler disposed to follow the divine will. In an eventful encounter with the Lord in a dream, Solomon prayed for a discerning and understanding heart to be able to govern the chosen people efficaciously. The Lord God graciously obliged and responded to his prayer with the following words: “I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now; and after you there will come no one to equal you” (v. 12).
The biblical scholar Alice Laffey comments: “The first part of Solomon’s reign is characterized by covenant fidelity to the Lord, by love and obedience. He worships at the best shrine and, from the abundance of prosperity with which the Lord has blessed him, he makes generous sacrifices to Yahweh. Often, as here, dreams occasion an encounter with Yahweh … In the ensuing dialogue, Solomon perceives himself as Yahweh’s servant and requests from the Lord an understanding heart by which to govern the people and to distinguish right from wrong. Yahweh responds generously. Solomon’s request will be granted, and, in addition, he will receive the standard blessings of covenant fidelity – riches and glory and a long life … Solomon’s reverence for the Lord, proven by his altruistic request, would merit him wisdom in addition to the usual covenant blessings. Solomon awakes from his dream and again sacrifices to the Lord.”
Indeed, the divine gift of wisdom to Solomon was meant to promote the good of the people and ensure the welfare of the kingdom. As the supreme arbiter of justice in Israel, King Solomon initially used this precious gift with sensitivity and benevolence. In the delicate case of two women claiming maternity of a child (cf. I Kgs 3:16-28), he issued a command that enabled him to determine the mother of the child in contention. His insightful decision won the esteem of the people and enabled him to experience the glory promised by God. Unfortunately, however, King Solomon in his later years became less and less dependent on God. Moreover, he gave vent to his natural inclinations and increasingly relied on his human judgment. Surfeited and jaded, he ceased to follow the wisdom of God and became idolatrous. The moral downfall and degradation of Solomon eventually led to the rupture of the kingdom of Israel.
The gift of wisdom received by King Solomon when he was young and sensible is the same gift that we need to ask of God in order to discern the incomparable value of the heavenly kingdom and pursue it wholeheartedly. The parable of the treasure in the field and the parable of the precious pearl narrated in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mt 13:44-46) underline the absolute and supreme value of the heavenly kingdom, so much so that all other values pale in comparison. The willingness to renounce lesser goods is possible through the divine gift of wisdom, which enables us to adhere to the Kingdom value with a discerning and understanding heart.
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “The two parables offer perfectly clear models for all who wish to be Christians in more than name. The danger is that we may think of them simply as parables and fail to see the radical demand they proclaim. They are telling us that no one can be part of God’s kingdom without the kind of definitive renunciation that allows for no compromise: one must either sell all or not belong to the kingdom. The kingdom requires a positive acceptance; it cannot be acquired by neutrality. The tepid, whom God vomits from his mouth, are not admitted into the kingdom.”
The parable of the net thrown into the sea (Mt 13:47-49), hauling both the good and the bad fish, reinforces the need for a fine-grain discernment in the pursuit of the heavenly kingdom. Using the gift of divine wisdom, the Christian disciples must labor intensely to discern what is of God from what is not – to choose what is life giving and reject what is death dealing. Like the fishermen on the shore selecting the good fish and rejecting the bad fish, the followers of Jesus must continually affirm their fundamental option and reject what could compromise their basic choice. Until the final sorting by the angels at the end time, the Christian disciples must practice the wisdom of a discerning heart. They must continually open themselves to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of the Wisdom of God - his Son Jesus Christ.
Indeed, each day in the life of a Christian follower is an exercise in moral choice. Christian discipleship is a loving labor of wisdom and the ongoing response of a discerning heart. Those who endeavor to live by the promptings of divine wisdom will ultimately triumph. When the final sorting comes, the faithful and wise disciples will join the “righteous” ones in heaven to savor the eternal joy of the kingdom. Like St. Paul, who was truly wise in the Lord, the wisdom-filled disciples will experience that “all things work for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28).
Sandy Whiting’s story, “Perennial Blessings” published in the magazine “COUNTRY WOMAN” (June/July 2008, p. 51) impressed me. The grandma in this story is a giving gardener with a wise and compassionate heart. She understood the power of flowers to console. Her gift of wisdom and kindness touched the bereaved and drew out a response of kindness and gratitude from the community.
Grandma loved earthy things with roots – like the fragrant geraniums she loving grew and found homes for. I walked by her house everyday on my way home from school. She always had a wave and smile ready for me. This particular afternoon, however, she frowned. I backed up a few steps and asked, “What’s the matter? Did the bugs eat your flowers?” Grandma stared at her geraniums and sighed. “That new family on the other side of the square … the Dunkles. They just lost their twin baby boys.” Being 10 and knowing little about life and less about death, I shrugged. “So? We don’t know them.” “We’re neighbors … and neighbors are family”, she said firmly. Perking up, she brushed the dirt from her hands. “Go call your mother and ask if you can run an errand with me, then meet me in the shed.” Minutes later, with Mom’s approval, I shoved open the shed door. “There you are,” Grandma said. “Help me find two pots – pretty clay ones.” (…)
Handing me a trowel, Grandma led me to the garden. “Dig up that pink geranium and plant it in the pot,” she said. “Don’t forget to put a few rocks in the bottom for drainage.” In minutes, I had one pink flower safely tucked into its new home. Grandma quickly finished potting hers. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get these to the Dunkles.” Not bothering to knock, she placed the plants on the porch, slid a blue scrap of paper under one pot and turned to go. After that errand, I began noticing something unusual about Grandma’s geraniums. I’d count them when I passed in the morning. And by my return trip, there’d be two or three less. On shopping trips with Grandma, I’d hear folks speak of flowers appearing around town and speculate on who the “Geranium Lady” might be. When asked if we had any clues, I’d shrug and Grandma would just smile.
The years turned their pages … I married and moved away. Well, before I was ready, a call came with painful news that Grandma had passed. The trip back home was difficult as I wrestled with my grief, three restless children and one husband in the driver’s seat negotiating country roads. Finally, we pulled into a familiar dirt lane and rounded the curve to Grandma’s house. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Pots spilling over with red, pink, salmon and white geraniums covered the porch. Mother met me. “I don’t know who’s bringing them,” she said. “But every time I come out, there’s a dozen more.” Gently, I lifted a pot from the bottom step. Slipped beneath the sunset orange blooms was a faded blue note, written in Grandma’s own hand. “Only the body goes back to the earth. The soul blooms in greener pastures.” It wasn’t just the Dunkles who had figured out Grandma’s secret. The entire town knew. And now I did, too. Single acts of kindness are returned a thousand times over – perpetually blooming.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What was the stance of the young King Solomon before God? Why did he ask the Lord to give him an understanding heart? What was the Lord God’s response? Do you pray to God to give you a wise and understanding heart?
What do the three parables in this Sunday’s Gospel reading tell you personally? Do you yearn to be filled with the wisdom of God and commit yourself to seek the heavenly Kingdom as the absolute good and ultimate treasure? What are the challenges you are experiencing?
Do you look to St. Paul as a model of one who has a wise and understanding heart? How did St. Paul pursue the kingdom value and the spiritual treasure incarnated in the person of Jesus Christ? Do you believe and experience that “all things work for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28)?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
you predestined us to be conformed
to the image of your Son Jesus Christ, the incarnate Wisdom.
Give us a wise and understanding heart
that we may perceive and welcome your gracious design for us.
Let the wisdom of Christ assist us in our discernment
and the light of the Holy Spirit inspire us in all we do.
Help us to discern the incomparable value of the heavenly kingdom
and pursue it wholeheartedly as our absolute treasure.
Let all things work for good for those who love God,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“I give you a heart so wise and understanding …” (I Kgs 3:12a)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Meditate on the presence of activity of the divine wisdom in our life. Pray for world leaders and civil rulers that in serving the people they may be filled with the wisdom of God. In your words and deeds, and especially in your endeavor to promote the common good and to serve the poor and the needy, let the wisdom of God be experienced intensely by the people around you.
ACTION PLAN: To help us experience more deeply the wisdom of God and to obtain an understanding and discerning heart, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 4, n. 35): A Weekly Pastoral Tool.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US