Perseverance is a splendid reward of faith

1 Kgs 11:4-13, Mk 7:24-30. Today's first reading presents Solomon who fell away from the height of wisdom to the depth of foolishness because of lust. As a young man, he was invited by God to ask for anything he wished and it would be granted. It did not take him time to demonstrate his exceptional wisdom. A very hard case was put before him for trial with the dispute between two prostitutes, which of them was the mother of a living baby. Solomon decreed that, since each insisted that the living baby was hers, they should cut it in half and each could take a half. Objecting to this verdict, one of the women cried out: “No! Please give her the child. Don’t kill it.” The other woman said: “It shall be neither mine nor yours. Let us divide it between us.” Solomon said: “Give the child to the first woman, for she is the real mother.” He knew that the real mother would want her child to live, even if it was not assigned to her.

Unfortunately, Solomon’s wisdom did not last into his old age. His bad choices led him from being an icon of wisdom to being a despot who caused his nation to split in two. He is a classic example of how our choices shape us into the kind of person we become, for good or ill. In contrast, a pagan woman surprises Jesus with her faith and humble perseverance while Solomon’s harem of pagan women led him into apostasy. At first Jesus totally ignored the request of the Syro-Phoenician woman and then said harshly that it is “not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” It’s hard to explain this, except that He was aware of Solomon being led astray by foreign women. This gruff response is changed by the woman’s perseverance and her obvious love for her child. His reference to throwing the children’s food to the dogs was countered by her mild reply: “Yes, but even the dogs under the table eat the family’s leavings.” This clever answer from a tenacious heart overcame his objections, so Jesus did what she asked and healed her daughter – a splendid example of faith and perseverance rewarded.

May the Lord show us His mercy so that we can always discern with wisdom and temperance for ourselves and our families! Amen! Good morning and have a wonderful day!!!