WHERE DID SOLOMON GO WRONG?
Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
My dear encountered couples:
Yesterday Solomon was rewarded by the Queen of Sheba for his wisdom and goodness towards his people. He was a man to be honored and praised. Today we find Solomon being punished by God because he did not persist in that wisdom and goodness. He had turned away from God, he had turned towards false gods. We are told that “Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord.”
Wisdom and goodness are not easy to come by, and they are even harder to persist in. No matter how many wise and good things we do, no matter how many prayers we have prayed and acts of charity we have done in the past, we still have today ahead of us. And there are many temptations waiting to entice us to change our behavior. There are persons, places, and many things that every day are trying to call us away from the ways of God. It is not easy to remain wise and dedicated and enthused with prayer and good works. Solomon somehow slipped away from the habit. That could happen to anyone.
We have heard that pride comes before a fall. Maybe that was Solomon’s mistake. One can also say that humility comes before a spring, before a spring forward, before a step upward. By merely staying aware that it is possible even for us to go bad as did Solomon, we stand a good chance of it never happening. By always admitting to yourself that you cannot live a good and holy life without God’s help, chances are pride will never bring you down.
Solomon forgot his need for God. Don’t let that happen to you.
