Let us begin with a question about our health, and maybe let us look at our dental health. When was the last time we went to the dentist? It is recommended that we go to the dentist for a check-up every six months. That’s the recommendation. But our assessment is “no pain, no need”.
But as it is, we don’t like to visit the dentist because it means two things. Either it is a filling for a cavity, which at times feels like a brain surgery, because of all that drilling and the pain shoots up the brain. Or it will be an extraction, i.e. to pull out the teeth.
For those of us who have an upcoming dental appointment, here is a little story to prepare you to meet your dentist. A man went to a new dentist to remove a wisdom tooth for the first time. The man told the dentist, “I am afraid … it’s my first time taking out a wisdom tooth.” The new dentist told him, “Me too … it’s my first time.”
By and large, the dentist wouldn’t want to do an extraction unless it is really necessary. But when it comes to the wisdom tooth, it’s quite another matter.
Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars that most people get in their late teens or early twenties. Maybe when we start to get wiser, those wisdom teeth will grow as well. Sometimes these teeth can be a valuable asset to the mouth when healthy and properly aligned. But more often, they are misaligned and require removal.
So it doesn’t mean that the more wisdom teeth we have or try to keep, the wiser we are. In fact, it would be wiser to remove those wisdom teeth if they are giving us teething problems.
In the 1st reading, the Lord appeared in a dream to Solomon and said, “Ask what you would like me to give you.”
Now, that’s like a blank cheque, isn’t it? If the Lord were to appear to us and ask us that same question, just how would we reply? Because there are so many things that we want – health, wealth, happiness, security, good looks, etc.
As a young king, Solomon could have asked for more “teeth”, not more wisdom teeth, but more “teeth” to have more “bite”, so that he can control his subjects and his kingdom, victory over his enemies, long life, prosperity, security.
But he asked the Lord for this: Give Your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this people of Yours that is so great?
And the Lord replied: I give you a heart wise and shrewd, as none before you has had and none will have after you.
And truly, Solomon was noted for his wisdom. There was this instance of two mothers living in the same house, each the mother of an infant son, and they came to Solomon. One of the babies had died, and each claimed the remaining boy as her own. Calling for a sword, Solomon declared his judgment: the baby would be cut into two, each woman to receive half. One mother thought the ruling fair, but the other begged Solomon, "Give the baby to her, just don't kill the baby!" The king declared the second woman the true mother, as a mother would even give up her baby if that was necessary to save his life. (1 Kings 3:16-28) This judgment became known throughout all of Israel and was considered an example of profound wisdom.
Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom to govern God’s people because he was aware and humble enough to admit that he was young and unskilled in leadership.
So the Lord is also asking us what we want for Him. Certainly it would be something that we have to think carefully about.
It would be something like the treasure hidden in a field, or like that pearl of great value that the gospel speaks of. In both cases, the two finders sold everything they own and bought it.
But also like the fishermen who hauled in the dragnet and then collected the good fish in a basket and threw away those that are of no use, we also need the wisdom to discern what is good and what is fleeting and temporary.
There is this story of a bus-station attendant who was handed a wallet that someone had lost. He looked inside the wallet. There were a few dollars and a holy picture of Jesus in it. But there was no identification of the owner.
After a while an elderly man came to claim the wallet. The attendant asked him to prove that it was his before he would give it to him. The old man smiled and said, “There is a picture of Jesus in it.” But the attendant was not satisfied. He said, “That is no proof. Anyone can have a picture of Jesus in his wallet. And why is your photo or IC not in there like the others.”
The old man took a deep breath and explained. “My IC is with me. As to why my photo is not there, this wallet is given to me by my father when I was in school, and I used to put a photo of my parents in it.
When I was a teenager, I was proud of my looks and so I replaced my parents’ photo with my own. Then I got married and I replaced my photo with a photo of my wife. Then my first child was born and then I replaced my wife’s photo with my baby’s photo.”
Then his voice began to quiver. “My parents passed away many years ago. Recently my wife passed away too. My children are too busy with their families to look after me.
All that I ever held close to my heart is now far away from my reach. I have this picture of Jesus in my wallet because it is only now that I realized that He is always with me and He will never leave me alone. If only I had realized this earlier, I would have His picture when I first got this wallet.”
Whether we have a picture of Jesus in our wallets or not, we should realize that we are created in His image. And His image in etched in our hearts so that we can reflect and share this divine image with others so that they can see the true treasure that is within us.
Yes, we already have that treasure. What more do we need to ask for or search for?
St. Thomas Aquinas, the great Christian philosopher and theologian, wrote many works that influenced the Church. It was he who wrote the lyrics of the great Eucharistic hymns like “Humbly we adore Thee”.
There is a story that he had a vision of Christ on the Cross and was asked by the Lord what reward he wanted for all he had done and written. St. Thomas answered, “Non nisi te, Domine.” (Only you, Lord.)
Jesus is our only reward and our eternal reward. We don’t need to have the wisdom of Solomon to realize that.