Here we see Solomon at his best. He has been named David’s successor, he has successfully fought off challenges to this succession, and now he is ready to embark on the great adventure of governing Israel. Awesome are the Lord’s words to him: “Because you have asked… not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right—I do as you requested.”
Solomon in Prayer
The first good sign is that Solomon engages in prayer at the beginning of his reign—although it seems that his emphasis is more on sacrifice than prayer.
In the Middle Ages a man was expected to spend the night in prayer before being dubbed a knight. Today men spend a week in retreat before being ordained a deacon or a priest. Jesuits make a 4-week retreat before their vows. Solomon does not seem to have done this. In his day the chosen people had not developed the custom of extended periods of prayer—on the other hand, who among us can say we have made the sacrifice of a thousand animals from our flocks and herds?
The Content of Prayer
The great feat of Solomon, of course, is the content of his prayer. He makes the prayer of someone wanting to do good. He desires the qualities which will enable him to govern the people well. He wants the people to flourish.
In our society many people pray for a long life, especially in the form of healing. Many pray for material blessings. As we have the benefit of the Gospels, probably not many pray for the lives of our enemies (“Heavenly Father, please smite Pam who gossips about me at work”). Yet how many of us make it our principal prayer that we have the personal traits to fulfill the mission God has for us in this life?
Bl. Peter Faber
I write from a retreat at a Benedictine monastery. Here I have been struck by the lives of the saints. Bl. Peter Faber was the second most prominent of the original Jesuits. I was surprised to read that he would have succeeded Ignatius as superior general if he had outlived him. His apostolate, though, was not one that involved working among the people of one area for a long time. He was sent to a city in northern Italy, then to a city in Germany, then to another city in Germany, then to Portugal, then to cities in Spain. Everywhere he went he inspired people to a deep spiritual life and recruited new members for the Society of Jesus.
Bl. Peter was recalled to Rome, where he died shy of his 40th birthday. He was not one to build up a strong following around himself or to work for ecclesiastical advancement. He truly wanted the good of others and—following the motto of the Jesuits—the greater glory of God.
We will not be called to be king, nor probably anyone with political power. We are, however, called to serve others in our work. Most of us are called to form our families in goodness. We are called to inspire our friends and acquaintances. May we echo the prayer of Solomon and pray for those characteristics that make it possible for us to help others in the Spirit of God.
Father Mike your writing today strikes a chord with me today in that to pray for my “enemies” is actually praying for the gift of wisdom. I’ve never prayed for harm to befall upon those who have hurt me, and never considered praying for them to be a wise decision on my part. I looked at the arrow as a personal betrayal and not an opportunity to pray for wisdom. What a joyful relief inside my chest to better understand God’s gift; I just need to accept and put into practice the gift of wisdom. Thank you Father Mike for being like Bl. Peter, I’m inspired.