1 Kings 11:4-13 / Mark 7:24-30 (2020)
The appearance of strands of gray hair on the head can give the impression that one is slowly but sure aging.
The consolation that we, or others, give ourselves is that we are getting wiser, besides the fact that we are getting older.
But getting on with age does not necessary mean that we are growing in wisdom.
At least not in the case of king Solomon.
He had gained the reputation of being a wise king. But this gift of wisdom was the fruit of his faith in God.
In his later years, his heart swayed to other gods because of his many wives.
Even though the Lord had appeared twice to him, he still did what displeased the Lord.
It must be said here that God did not take away the gift of wisdom from Solomon.
Rather it was Solomon who had abandoned his faith in God and hence the gift of wisdom was left dormant in him.
In the gospel, we heard of a Syrophoenician woman who begged Jesus to heal her daughter.
She had faith in Jesus, and although Jesus seemed to reject her request, the wisdom of her faith made her persist and eventually was granted to her.
Faith is a gift from God. So is air, but we have to breath it; so is food, but we have to eat it.
We will also know that we are growing in faith when we are able to see the necessary and important things in life and we always choose to do the will of God because we love Him.
As Psalm 111:10 puts it : The fear of the Lord is the first stage of wisdom. All who do so prove themselves wise.