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Saturday, February 4, 2012

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1 Kings 3:4-13
Psalm 119:9-14
Mark 6:30-34

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wild about wisdom

"God said, 'Ask something of Me and I will give it to you.' " —1 Kings 3:5

The Lord wants to lovingly provide for us and meet our needs, even more than we want them met. The Lord is especially generous and ungrudging in giving us wisdom (Jas 1:5). For instance, Solomon asked the Lord for a wise and understanding heart. The Lord "went wild" and made Solomon the wisest human being that has ever lived or will ever live (1 Kgs 3:12).

The Lord will also lavish wisdom on us by renewing and deepening the wisdom we have received in our Baptisms and Confirmations. Yet we "must ask in faith, never doubting" (Jas 1:6). Every human being naturally has doubts about the Lord, but those who let these doubts influence their actions "must not expect to receive anything from the Lord" (Jas 1:7).

When we pray for wisdom, we must not only pray in faith but also in love at the foot of Jesus' cross. Without love, wisdom profits us nothing (see 1 Cor 13:2). The ultimate wisdom is the absurdity of preaching Christ's crucified love (1 Cor 1:23-24).

The Lord will give you greater wisdom than you have ever thought possible, if you ask without doubting and with crucified love. "Ask, and you will receive" (Mt 7:7).

Prayer:  Father, may I do and say what is right.

Promise:  "Jesus saw a vast crowd. He pitied them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them at great length." —Mk 6:34

Praise:  When confessing jealousy of another's spiritual giftedness, the confessor told Marla to ask the Lord for her own gifts rather than to seek those of another.

Reference:  (Lent is approaching. To help you observe Lent, order our leaflet, A Prophetic Lent.)

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 2011

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