2330AFC072823 – Another smart move
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Matthew 13:49-50 – 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Romans 8:29 – 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.
Psalm 119:129-130 –
129 Your decrees are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
1 Kings 3:11-12 – 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Today we anticipate the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In our readings, Jesus continues with more parables addressing the Kingdom of God and who will inherit it. The manner of inheritance is not how we usually think of it. When “our rich uncle dies,” we fantasize about coming into a sizable fortune left to us for some mysterious reason. We envision the unknow gratitude accreted into our uncle from who-knows-what. What was it that made him decide to reward us so abundantly? As tantalizing as all that sounds, what we can inherit from our Heavenly Father is incomprehensively more generous and, above all, eternal. Those who inherit the Kingdom of God will receive abundant rewards – eternity in Heaven with the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit along with all the angels and saints and all the holy people who pleased God with their service to him and to others. Those who displeased God receive rewards in abundance as well – an abundance of eternal suffering and separation from the entirety that Heaven holds. Once again we see that evil persons are separated from holy persons and are the first to be sent off to their eternal reward – they will be thrown into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (See Matthew 13:50 above.) We may never know what led that rich uncle to bless us, but we know “for sure and for certain” why God will bless his good and faithful servants. It’s really pretty simple: Keep his commandments, reverence his Being, and Love God and neighbor in the same way God loves each of us – completely. I am very certain that all of us have had that goal in mind. I am also very certain that all of us often fall short of reaching that goal. In this Sunday’s readings, we have a great example of good intentions paving the road to Hell.
The reading from 1 Kings is part of the story of Solomon, one of the sons born to David and Bathsheba. In 2 Samuel, there are lists of the sons of King David; only one daughter, Tamar, is listed. The total number of sons is around 19, and by my count, Solomon was the tenth-born. As was the case with several (or many) Old Testament males, David had more than a few wives. As we see in today’s Key Verse, Solomon was appointed by God to take over his father’s throne and to rule Israel. Solomon was just a youth – a mere 12 years old 
– when he began his reign. This is why it makes sense that he would ask God for help in ruling “so vast a people.” (See 1 Kings 3:3-9) Solomon started out following faithfully in his father’s ways of serving God. One very important thing to remember about the life of King David was that he made bunches of colossal mistakes, but he always repented. Solomon was operating in the same way early in his reign, so God came to him and said, “Ask what I should give you.” Solomon asked for wisdom and a discerning heart so that he could know what is right and wrong. When I think about this request, I visualize it as kind of counteraction to the effects of original sin. Eve and Adam learned about the existence of good and evil. Solomon asked for understanding of good and evil so that he could use it to help God’s chosen race. Adonai was pleased with this answer and so gave him exceptional wisdom. He also gave him everything he didn’t ask for – wealth, freedom from enemies, honor greater than any other ruler. It was indeed an auspicious beginning. However, Solomon, like his father, was also aware of the advantages of alliances through marriage. It started with marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh. It did not end there, though.
A few chapters later, in 1 Kings 11, we read that Solomon “loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh.” In verse three we read: 1 Kings 11:3 – 3 Among his 
wives were seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. As Solomon brought more outside influences into the Kingdom, his attention to God drifted. He began “going along to get along” with his wives – and probably their families – by worshipping their gods with them. He worshipped at the shrines of gods Adonai had specifically warned against including Ashtoreth, Molech, and Chemosh. He married women from Ammon, Moab, Sidon, Edom, and Hittite women, too. All of these were countries God had specifically forbidden to Israel for intermarriage. Solomon collected them all. When I present this to other people, there is usually at least one comment, “What are you going to do with 700 wives and 300 concubines?”
The best answer I have is, “Nothing good.” God allowed Solomon to keep on defying him in the hope that – like his father, David – he would repent. Every time Solomon took in another princess from another forbidden country or another concubine from another forbidden family, he was apparently thinking he was making another smart move to preserve his wealth, honor, and security. Actually it was just the opposite. He only impoverished himself and his people, he lost all honor from God and men, and enemies sprouted up all around and within Israel. Time was running out for Solomon to repent. There is no word in Scripture that he ever got to that stage. He may have died unrepentant, and that was definitely not another smart move.
We have commented here many times recently on the importance of Jesus’ command, “Repent and believe the Gospel.” Belovéd, when we procrastinate on fulfilling that command, that is definitely not another smart move. When is the best time to repent? 
NOW! How? 1 John 1:9-10 – 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. This is a double-admonition. Verse 9 says if we confess, God forgives and cleanses us. Verse 10 says if we claim we did not sin, we are in essence denying and defying God! Catholics have the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation handed down from the Apostles. When used properly, we are indeed cleansed of all sin. When used improperly, we are no better than Solomon worshipping idols and false gods. We all know that God knows and sees everything. How can we possible think that by not admitting sinning, God will not see what we have done?! Well, there’s another smart move! NOT! The universe is God’s creation. We are part of that creation. There are rules, laws, decrees, and patterns that govern all of creation – including us. When we live by the rules, creation is at our hand to enjoy as a natural consequence of obedience. When we flaunt the rules, all creation is against our hand as a natural consequence of disobedience.
Yes, Belovéd, it is true that often the wicked seem to prevail and be showered with every blessing … even when they refuse Grace. But, it is that refusal of Grace that is another dumb move because – in refusing the free, and unlimited, undeserved favor of God – we countermand everything in the universe that might keep us in his Presence. We who believe know that there are safety-devices all over the place to prevent us from giving up that Grace which surpasses all understanding. It appears to be something David and Solomon knew, but they forgot. David wrote this about it:
Psalm 119:129-130 –
129 Your decrees are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
He also wrote –
Psalm 119:105 –
105 Thy Word (↔ Music Link) is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
When I was working in Quality Assurance – later called Performance Management – one 
of the guiding principles was that we can’t improve what we don’t measure and we can’t measure what we don’t observe. Looking at the two passages from Psalms, we see that we must know the decrees, and then live by them. As we unfold the words of God’s decrees, they become a light that shows us where our feet are standing and where our feet can go. Trying to move around without that light is surely no smart move. God sent prophets, judges, seers, even enemies to try to straighten out Israel, but they persisted in ignoring him.
I’m going to paraphrase something from Catechism In A Year (↔ Learning Link) – a podcast from Ascension Press hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz: “God, I know what you want, but I don’t want to do that. I’m going to do what I want to do.” God says, “Do this.” The 
four-year-old inside of me takes over and says, “NO! I do it myself!” There’s nothing smart about that, folks. God is going to let me get away with that for a while. He’ll send me some disciplinary measures to blunt my obstinance. He’ll invite me to confess and repent. If I play it smart, all I have do is “Repent and believe the Gospel” and then live like that.
Remember Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them – unless I foolishly try to characterize God as a liar, as The Apostle John told us. If it is the Light that makes moving forward safely in every circumstance, then why not walk in the light? (↔ Music Link) Jesus certainly knows where we are, where we’re going, and does everything he can to make sure we arrive at the Place he has prepared for us. Every single soul who has ever walked the Earth has full access to the saving Grace of Salvation. Untold numbers ignore that, oppose that, or – worse – are indifferent to that. The result is that they themselves vote themselves out of the Family of God. They vote with they feet by walking away from the Light. The Apostle Paul commented about that:
Romans 8:29 – 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. Now there are some words here that get some folks a little edgy. We hear questions like this: “Does that mean God created certain people to intentionally send them to Hell and others to intentionally take them to Heaven?” In CCC 600 (↔ Learning Link), we are reminded that when we try to impose our linear concept of time onto God’s nonlinear omniscience, we are easily confused. Every living soul is invested with Free Will and thus able to choose to obey the decrees for the universe or not to comply. God permits the consequences of each of our actions to follow the consistencies of obedience or disobedience. In CCC 1037 (↔ Learning Link), we understand that God never creates a soul intentionally destined for Hell. We are allowed to choose between Life and Death, Blessing and Curse (IMPORTANT: See Deuteronomy 30:19) until we draw our last breath. At the next moment one of three things will happen when we receive our particular judgment (↔ Learning Link):
- We will immediately see the blackened form of a demon rise up from beneath our feet to snatch our unrepentant soul straight to Hell where we shall spend eternity first as spirits and then as resurrected bodies.
- We will suddenly be ushered by our angel into a place of purging – purification – where we will have the opportunities to receive temporal recompense for sins completely forgiven but for which we have not yet relieved the debt of punishment and correction. This is what we see in Matthew 5:25-26 – 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court] with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
- We will instantly arrive into a place of endless Joy where we shall “see him as he is for we shall be like him.” (See 1 John 3:2, paraphrased here). We will dwell with all the spiritual beings in Heaven until God restores our bodies then glorified as the Body of his Son.
All three of these come down to YOLO-F.
We’ll finish up with Matthew 13:49-50 – 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “There are no inconsequential actions.” And some actions have complex, compound, or compound-complex components 
– like broken bones, the worse the break, the longer the healing. The thing is, there are endless, and I mean endless, opportunities to “settle with your accuser” (i.e., kick Satan in the butt 😊) before that last moment of Earthly life. After that moment, there are no do-overs. What’s done is done, and what we’ve won, we’ve won. God gives us the biggest and best opportunities to get it right and make a final smart move when he calls us by name, points to his son and says, “This is Jesus.” (↔ Music Link) Of course, Belovéd, we have that opportunity to see Jesus “every moment of every day“. (↔ Music Link) We also know that at any moment we can leave this Earth. Are we ready today, right now, for that irrevocable outcome at the end of our lives which is based on all our choices? Our making sure each of us is indeed fully and righteously prepared for that moment is the smartest move of all. How do we know? Try this: John 14:23 – 23 Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Loving Jesus is a really smart move.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.
For an extra list of scripture on this topic look in the end section of this online version:
Sirach 47
Exodus 15:26
Deuteronomy 15:4-5
Joshua 22:5
1 Kings 9:4-5
Leviticus 18:26
Leviticus 20:8
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Luke 11:28
1 John 5:3-4
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
