Homily for 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

July 30, 2023
1 Kgs 3: 5, 7-12
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

You’ve probably heard about the guy who prayed constantly to win the Megamillions lottery.  Finally, God got tired of hearing him and, in exasperation, spoke to him.  “I’m glad you turn to me for help,” he said.  “But could you at least buy a ticket?”

How many of you have played the lottery, if not regularly, at least occasionally?  Or how many of you have gone to Atlantic City or Mohegan Sun to gamble a little?  Did you ever pray to win?

Solomon's Dream by Luca Giordano

wherein God promises him wisdom

If you did, your prayer stands in contrast to the prayer of young King Solomon.  When God said to him, “Ask something of me, and I’ll give it to you” (1 Kgs 3:5), the king begged, “Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong” (3:9).  Solomon prayed for wisdom that would enable him to carry out the responsibilities of his vocation.

It’s not wrong to pray for material success:  to win the lottery, to pass an exam, to succeed in business or in a relationship, for good weather.  It’s not wrong to pray for some form of happiness, e.g., for good health for ourselves or others (which we do in our intercessions at Mass) or for safe travel.

But God was pleased with Solomon’s prayer because he asked for nothing like that; not for long life, wealth, or victory in war; rather, “for understanding so that you may know what is right” (3:11).  And God granted him an abundance of wisdom, so much that Solomon’s name ever since has been linked with that virtue, the virtue of wisdom.

Solomon’s prayer began with humility.  He acknowledged himself as the Lord’s “servant” (3:9).  Whenever we pray, we do well to imitate that example, to acknowledge our lowliness before God or the saints, as the case may be or to confess their greatness and goodness.  When we greet Mary, as we often do, we call her “full of grace.”  When we pray what Jesus taught us, we hallow or bless his Father’s name.

Solomon prayed for what he needed to fulfill his vocation, which was to rule over Israel, God’s chosen people.  Besides praising God, always an excellent prayer, as we see in so many of the psalms—e.g., today we maintain that God’s law is “more precious than thousands of gold or silver pieces” and “your law is my delight” (119:72,77)—besides that, we ought to pray for the graces we need to be faithful Christians.  Baptism and our relationship with the Holy Trinity is our most fundamental vocation.

Then we have our particular vocations as spouses or parents, or in my case as priest and consecrated religious; or, for the time being, the vocation of being a youth, a student; or you might be a senior citizen, perhaps a widowed person; or one who cares for others thru some profession; or a working person or an employer; and so on.  What graces, what gifts, do I need to serve God, family, and others where I am and amid the people around me?  Thus Solomon prayed that he’d be a good ruler.

The other part of his prayer was that he’d be able to “distinguish right from wrong” (3:9), which God explicitly recognized:  “that you may know what is right” (3:11).  No matter who we are or what our place in life is, we all need that kind of discernment.  All of us have to make moral choices within our families, our work, our leisure, our use of resources.  How can we best care for our health?  how be a fair and honest worker or employer or a diligent student?  how discipline our children?  how much to give to the poor, to my parish, or to some worthy cause?  what to watch on TV or how much time to spend online?  what’s a safe highway speed on this road at this time?  am I doing anything to care for God’s creation?  how can I be a kinder, more patient person?  do I show respect for everyone I meet and speak respectfully of others, even those who aren’t present?  how can I better practice chastity either in marriage or as a single?

Every one of us needs an abundance of wisdom and understanding in our daily lives.  God wants to give it to us, as he did to Solomon.  He’s pleased when we ask him to help us make good choices and live faithfully.