I would like to invite you to reflect with me on the First Reading (1 Kings 11:29-32;12:19) and the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 81). In both texts, the Lord cautions us about the risks of a "divided heart” - one that tries to worship Him and to worship idols at the same time.
As a sophomore and freshman in high school, I read all the Old Testament books, just the way one reads a story book. Part of it was that I did not have any other books to read! It was fascinating to read about the Judges and the Kings of Israel. This whole week we have been reflecting on the Kings of Israel especially King Solomon. We heard that with all the blessings he got from God through the foundation his father David laid for him, Solomon made other choices in life that had severe consequences on his household and the Kingdom of Israel. We heard that he married many foreign wives and he allowed them to come with their religions and their “gods” and he also allowed them to set up altars in his palace. He was a firm believer in the unbridled freedom of religion for all in his household, but it didn’t go down well.
When Spiritual Deafness Strikes
When Solomon’s foreign wives influenced the setting up of the different altars in the kingdom palace to gods such as Astarte, Milcom, Chemosh, Molech, the wives started having religious influence over him too. They influenced what he believed, how he behaved, what rituals he performed, and what feast days he celebrated. Eventually the foreign spiritual influence spread to the people throughout the Kingdom of Israel. Psalm 81 which we heard today is about God expressing frustration about what had happened to His people. He says, “I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice. There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god.”
The people didn’t hear the voice of God, they had contracted a “spiritual deafness.” Today in the encounter between the Prophet Ahijah and Jeroboam, God decided to put a stop to all this development. In a dramatic gesture, the prophet took his new cloak and cut it into twelve pieces. Each piece represented the kingdom of Israel. Ten pieces, representing ten tribes of Israel were taken away from King Solomon or the House of David, and he remained with only one tribe! Israel rebelled against the house of David, and the kingdom became divided into two kingdoms - a northern and southern kingdom.
Three Important Lessons
There are three small lessons we can stay with for reflection: The first is that the story of Solomon and his rule, is the sad story of the tragedy of a divided heart. We cannot serve two masters at the same time. We cannot serve God and other “idols” at the same time. It usually doesn’t end well as we see in the life of Kingdom Solomon. The Lord requires total fidelity to Him, and Him alone.
The second lesson is that “small compromises” have consequences too. What started off for Solomon as an innocent permission in his household of allowing his wives to worship whatever “gods” they wanted, or to let them set up in his palace whatever altars they wanted, grew into something big and beyond his control. If we are going to ask God for blessings, you have to accept the boundaries He set. Solomon pushed the boundaries, and he ended up losing the Kingdom.
The third lesson is a message of hope for us all – no matter what we have done in life, God’s grace still persists in all our circumstances. Even when Solomon decided to go away from the Lord, the Lord still left at least one tribe for him to rule over. No matter what evil we have done in life, He does not entirely abandon us. He still has faith in us, and hopefully we can build on that to repair our relationship with Him.
In our Mass today, may the Lord show us the different “idols” in our lives that we are vulnerable to setting up altars for to worship. May we ask the Lord to heal us of our “spiritual deafness” so that we can hear more clearly His voice when He calls or instructs us. Amen.
- Today’s Readings
- Father Fred's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
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