Reflection - Desire

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020820.cfm
1 Kings 3:4-13
Mark 6:30-34

God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”

Wow! What an offer!

Of all the Old Testament books and the accounts they contain, this story of King Solomon and his request of the Lord for “an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” is one of the better known. We typically characterize his request as a desire for Wisdom. Further, the passage we read today is quickly followed in Scripture by the oft-told story offered as an example of Solomon’s great wisdom. Two women asked King Solomon to determine the true mother of a living infant and the true mother of a dead infant. Solomon suggested that the living child be divided with half being given to each woman. The responses from the two women easily helped him to determine the true mother.

Scholars tell us that Solomon could have advanced to the throne of Israel when he was a mere fifteen years old. Contemporary science affirms that the human brain continues to mature into one’s twenties. You have to wonder if there was a relationship between these two facts and Solomon’s request of the Lord. Did the request for Wisdom spring from the idealism of his early years?

The idealism of youth is well known. It is hardly surprising that songs of peace and love, freedom and justice were anthems of the hippie generation, nor was it startling that Woodstock was characterized as ‘three days of peace and love’. And, of course, who can forget the iconic photo of the young girl placing a flower in the rifle barrel of the gun being held by a national guardsman.

But consider why we call it the idealism of youth: the word “idealism” means “not real, existing only in the imagination.” Is it cynicism, skepticism, realism or just mental maturation that consigns the ideals of peace, justice, freedom and love to the dustbin of the imaginary and the immature? Solomon himself failed to follow through with the apparent idealism with which he started. Sure, his kingdom was known for being rich and powerful for its time, but that came at the expense of grossly burdensome taxes and an oppressive treatment of God’s people. The grandiosity of his kingdom was impossible to support without such taxes and oppression. It would seem that ideals fade when confronted by wealth and power, the factual elements that guide our world.

I’m frequently amazed at what the Holy Spirit brings to my attention in preparation for these reflections. This time it was a passage from a book by John Eldredge.

There is a secret that is set within each of our hearts.
It often goes unnoticed,
we rarely can put words to it,
and yet it guides us throughout the days of our lives.
This secret remains hidden for the most part in our deepest selves.
It is the desire for life as it was meant to be.
Isn’t there a life you have been searching for all your days?
You may not always be aware of your search,
and there are times when you seem to have abandoned looking altogether.
But again and again it returns to us,
This yearning that cries out for the life we prize.
It is elusive, to be sure.
It seems to come and go at will.
Seasons may pass until it surfaces again.
And though it seems to taunt us,
and may at times cause us great pain,
we know when it returns that it is priceless.
For if we could recover this desire,
unearth it from beneath all other distractions,
and embrace it as our deepest treasure,
we would discover the secret of our existence.

The Old Testament abounds with intimations of the Messianic Kingdom. They show up in promises and prophecy, in dreams and visions. Indeed, they show up in the desires of youth. These very same things are reiterated in even greater detail in the New. The promises are divine. They are irrevocable. They are guaranteed. They are those very ideals which we once engaged so firmly as fundamental, as the bedrock of our youth: Justice! Freedom! Peace! Love! But they are not ideals in the sense that they are “not real, existing only in the imagination.” They are part and parcel of the Kingdom.

If we could recover this desire,
unearth it from beneath all other distractions,
and embrace it as our deepest treasure,
we would discover the secret of our existence.

In the Gospel Jesus tells the disciples: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” But He doesn’t really mean “by yourselves.” He means “Come away from the crowds. Come away from all distractions. Come away with me.” It is he who will unearth our desire for the Kingdom from beneath all other distractions.