Today\u2019s readings focus on values and the ability to appreciate and pursue what is truly worthwhile. Solomon asked the Lord for the wisdom to govern responsibly and with good judgment. Paul reminds the Roman Christian community that their choice to follow the way of Christ will bring them satisfaction in the here and now, and union with Christ in the hereafter. In the Gospel from Matthew Jesus is highlighting the importance of living out the values of God\u2019s realm.
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1 Kings 3:5, 7-12<\/strong> This is the well known passage that describes Solomon assuming the throne of his father, David. According to the text the kingdom stretched from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, and from the Mediterranean coast to the Jordan River in the east. Scholars debate the extent of the kingdom, arguing that evidence suggests it was far more modest than the biblical text implies. We are presented here with Solomon being given a choice by God, who appeared to him in a dream. Solomon could ask for anything he wanted and he chose to ask for the gift of wisdom to rule judiciously. There is no small measure of irony here because in the previous chapter there are accounts of Solomon ordering the murder of his most powerful rivals at court. Solomon showed appreciation for a superior value like wisdom.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The text tells us that the Lord approved of Solomon\u2019s choice and granted him the wisdom to rule effectively and with discernment. The point of this extract is that Solomon chose a gift that would honour God and the people he governed. He did not ask for riches or a long life but showed appreciation for a superior value like wisdom. As it turned out, Solomon ruled wisely in the early years, established peace in the region, built the first Temple in Jerusalem, and promoted trade and good international relations. Later in his reign he wandered off target allowing other gods to be worshipped in the land, undertook ambitious building projects paid for with high taxes that brought widespread resentment, and accumulated enormous wealth for himself. All that aside, today\u2019s text reminds us that cultivating core and lasting values, like justice, compassion and faithfulness will bring us ultimate satisfaction, maturity and deep peace. Psalm 119<\/strong> This is the longest of the psalms and covers a number of spiritual themes. It places significant importance on knowing and following the word of the Lord. For us, this boils down to a knowledge of God\u2019s word in Scripture through regular lectio and reflection on the word. The poet compares this gift of the word to human riches and reputation, and relies on receiving the Lord\u2019s love. The Hebrew word for \u2018love\u2019 in this psalm is chesed, which has the meaning of a love that is faithful and enduring, a love that is the glue of a close relationship, a love that can be relied on in all kinds of storms and misadventures. The poet basks in the knowledge that God\u2019s love is reassuring; it is all that one needs to grow and be capable of giving out authentic love in return. Romans 8:28-30<\/strong> This passage is simply saying that God works in all things for the good of those who are faithful to God\u2019s expectations. It\u2019s a bit like saying you can\u2019t go wrong if your life is guided by divine values. In the previous few verses Paul had written that we can trust the Holy Spirit to support us in our weakness. Our intentions and the orientation of our lives show where we are at, and what our core values are. Heading in the right direction we can rely on the inspiration of the Spirit. We might remember the words of Jesus to Nicodemus (John 3:8) that the Spirit is like the wind and we hear it without knowing where it comes from or where it is going. We just need to be alert. Inspiration can come from a conversation, a book we are reading, a YouTube presentation \u2013 anything that grabs our attention with a message. Going back to the episode with Solomon we can see that God delights in selfless desires. We might ask, are my goals mainly about myself, or do they also help others? Our openness to spiritual values and being mindful of the movement of the Spirit make us eligible to receive the gift of wisdom. This will enable us to always look for the good in others and so grow in wholeness. Matthew 13:44-52<\/strong> Matthew\u2019s 13 th chapter stands out as a collection of the parables and wise saying of Jesus. In today\u2019s extract we find the message of, if you come across a treasure that is really valuable then do all you can to get hold of it. The first example compares a life dedicated to living out the values Jesus was promoting to finding a treasure buried in a field. By right it belongs to the owner of the field, so how to you get hold of it? Buy the field, of course, and then it is yours. Scholars over the centuries have discussed the motives and morality of the finder, but Jesus is not making an issue of that. He is simply saying that when you find a valuable treasure you go all out to acquire it. In this case, the finder will sell everything he owns to raise the money to buy the field. Similarly with the pearl merchant who is always on the lookout for a priceless pearl. When he finds it he sells everything he has to buy it. It is so valuable there is no argument; he must have it. Here again, it is knowing what is truly valuable that powers the drive to possess it. Next, the fishermen haul in a dragnet (Greek: sagein\u0113) that has weights on the bottom line. So, what is brought up will be all kinds of sea creatures along with whatever rubbish might have been dragged along. The fishermen will naturally sort the good fish from everything else and keep what is valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus compares this to the separation of the just from the wicked at the final judgment. The implication is that both lots have made their life choices and will then have to live with the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Jesus tells his disciples they will be like the householder who appreciates the value of new things and old. Choosing will depend on what is best for purpose. Jesus is saying there is timeless value in the Hebrew Scriptures and ancient Hebrew tradition. Christian teachers will preserve the treasures of the Hebrew tradition while promoting their fulfilment in the person of Jesus. There is wisdom in balance. True Christian teaching keeps the best of the past while remaining open to new understanding. These readings remind us of how priceless is the lifestyle that Jesus was promoting. Realising this value we do well to go all out to live by its standards. In living out God\u2019s values our faith encourages us to seek balance rather than extremes. After all, a balanced life reflects wisdom and good judgment. ~~~ A well-developed sense of humour is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life. William Arthur Ward. American motivational writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ~~~ Father was treating his parishioners to an old fashioned \u2018hell-fire\u2019 sermon. He repeated at frequent intervals the phrase, \u2018There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\u2019 Exasperated by this repetition, an elderly member of the congregation shouted, \u2018Let \u2018em gnash \u2018em, them as has \u2018em.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n To which Father replied, \u2018Madam, teeth will be provided.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today\u2019s readings focus on values and the ability to appreciate and pursue what is truly worthwhile. Solomon asked the Lord for the wisdom to govern responsibly and with good judgment. Paul reminds the Roman Christian community that their choice to follow the way of Christ will bring them satisfaction in the here and now, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":27394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657.jpg",1280,853,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657-1024x682.jpg",1024,682,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657.jpg",1280,853,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657.jpg",1280,853,false],"menu-24x24":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657-24x16.jpg",24,16,true],"menu-36x36":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657-36x24.jpg",36,24,true],"menu-48x48":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/orthodox-2708529657-48x32.jpg",48,32,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Dr. Laurie Woods","author_link":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?author=18"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Today\u2019s readings focus on values and the ability to appreciate and pursue what is truly worthwhile. Solomon asked the Lord for the wisdom to govern responsibly and with good judgment. Paul reminds the Roman Christian community that their choice to follow the way of Christ will bring them satisfaction in the here and now, and…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29024"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29025,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29024\/revisions\/29025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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True Christian teaching keeps the best of the past while remaining open to new understanding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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by Laurie Woods<\/p>\n\n\n\n