First Reading
1 Kings 11:4-13
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
So the LORD said to Solomon: “Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people;
visit us with your saving help.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
But they mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
And the LORD grew angry with his people,
and abhorred his inheritance.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Gospel
Mark 7:24-30
Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
TITLE: DAILY PERSEVERANCE NEVER GETS OLD
"When Solomon was old...his heart was not entirely with the Lord." –1 Kings 11:4
Solomon's legacy began with great success. This was a direct result of his selfless prayers and attitude in the early days of his reign as king (1 Kgs 3:6ff). Sadly, Solomon did not persevere in his faithfulness to God, even though the Lord "had appeared to him twice" (1 Kgs 11:9). Despite a glorious beginning, Solomon's "heart was not entirely with the Lord" (1 Kgs 11:4). He "had not obeyed" God (1 Kgs 11:10), even though he received clear instruction from the Lord. The end result of Solomon's reign was catastrophic. His household fell apart and his nation was divided.
Jesus clearly tells us that the one who perseveres to the end will be saved (Lk 21:19). The surest way to be faith-filled and to have your heart "entirely with the Lord" at the end of your life is to make sure your heart is entirely with the Lord today and every day. "Delay not your conversion to the Lord, put it not off from day to day" (Sir 5:8). "Now is the acceptable time" (2 Cor 6:2). Day after day, come to Jesus (Mt 11:28). Day after day, "let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus" (Heb 12:2). Then, each day, persevere in staying with Jesus. He promises that when you persevere to the end, you will be saved (see Lk 21:19, RNAB).
PRAYER: Father, as I grow older in Jesus, Your Son, may I persevere in my faith so that I "bear fruit even in old age" (Ps 92:15).
PROMISE: "Happy are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just." –Ps 106:3
PRAISE: Thomas rebelled against God for many years. God drew him back to Himself when Thomas heard a favorite childhood hymn.
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