Blessings and warnings

Things are going very, very well for King Solomon in today’s first reading (1 Kings 10:1-10): riches and fame just keep piling up for him, most famously with the visit of the Queen of Sheba and continuing through the rest of the chapter with treasures pouring in from the far corners of the known world.

For Solomon, life is good.

But that is not always a good thing.

But woe to you who are rich
for you have received your consolation....
Woe to you when all speak well of you...
(Luke 6:24, 26a)

Solomon was indeed richly blessed by the Lord, but somewhere in the midst of all those blessings, he lost his connection with the source of these blessings and (as we will hear in tomorrow’s reading) drifted away from the Lord.

Rich or poor, popular or alone, successful or not,
our relationship with the Lord
must always be the most important thing in our lives
and we must not let anything or anyone
– no matter how wonderful or how intimidating –
cause us to fall away from the Lord.

***

Domine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei vivi,
qui ex voluntate Patris, cooperante Spiritu Sancto,
per mortem tuam mundum vivificasti:
libera me
per hoc sacrosanctum Corpus et Sanguinem tuum
ab omnibus iniquitatibus meis et universis malis:
et fac me tuis semper inhaerere mandatis,
et a te numquam separari permittas.
(Preparatio privata sacerdotis)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit
your death brought life to the world.
By your holy body and blood free me
from all my sins, and from every evil.
Keep me faithful to your teaching,
and never let me be parted from you.