King David is preparing for his death in the first reading for mass today, from the book of Kings. It’s worth noting that King David isn’t giving a list of instructions on what to do with his possessions, or instructing his son Solomon on the status of his kingdom and suggestions for the future. No, King David is entirely focused on the need for Solomon to listen to God’s commandments, statutes, ordinances and decrees. God had promised David that “If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.”
Perhaps this is why King David’s son Absalom did not succeed at killing King David and taking his kingdom away from him. God meant for Solomon to be king, not Absalom. Sometimes we too insist on obtaining what we want, without considering God’s will. Forcing our will on others may very well contradict God’s will, as is evident in this week’s scriptures. We can cause a great deal of suffering to others by insisting on our way all the time. It is a sign of holiness to allow others to make decisions sometimes too, as long as they are following God’s commandments.
The wisdom of King Solomon was famous during his reign and continues to be famous even today. When God told Solomon He would grant one thing to him when he became king, Solomon was not selfish like his brother. He thought only of His people and asked God to grant him the gift of wisdom, because it would help him to govern the kingdom of Israel well. That might be another reason God wanted Solomon to be king, because he was not selfish and had the good of the people in mind instead of his own. Also, Absalom did not listen and obey God, but Solomon did.
That is precisely what Jesus told his disciples today when he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and cure the unclean spirits and illnesses of the people. He said, “Whoever does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”
The readings for mass today suggest that we should be careful not to listen to our own wants or what we would like to do, as much as we should listen to God and seek His will in any major decisions we make. The best way to do this is to do this is by listening to our pope, bishops and priests who guide our church. Listen to the Catholic church’s teachings, and spend some serious time in prayer like King Solomon did in today’s first reading.
One last thing that is worthy to note about the gospel today, is that Jesus told his disciples to carry very few possessions and to stay in the same house until they left that place. Possessions were absolutely not a priority to Jesus because they slowed the disciples down and would hinder their journey. He could have told them to stay in the same house because the people were the most important part of their journey. We would do well to listen to the Lord’s advise to his disciples too. Possessions can become the priority in our lives instead of people if we aren’t careful, and not just by acquiring things either. Taking care of what we own also drains a lot of our time and energy, that could be better put to use spending time with family and friends and being of service to the Lord.
Daily Mass Readings:
1 Kgs 2: 1-4, 10-12 / 1 Chr 29: 10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12 bcd / Mk 6: 7-13
