By Engr. Carlor Cornejo
In the Book of Kings, one of the famous stories there was when Solomon took over the kingship of Israel from his father David. Solomon was asked by God what he would want from Him. “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’ ‘Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So, give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?’ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.” (1 Kings 3:5-10)
Solomon asked for a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong which is the definition of wisdom. Solomon asked for wisdom, that’s why our Lord was pleased with him instead of asking for wealth and power. Wisdom according to St. Thomas Aquinas is the view from the hilltop, from the standpoint of the highest cause. St. Thomas meant that we should see the big picture, the bigger point of view of life or trying to see it in God’s perspective. It means making decisions based on the commandments of God which is the ultimate basis of right and wrong. It would also mean considering not only the material welfare but most importantly the spiritual welfare of ourselves and others. Not just prosperity but over and above it, sanctity. It is to make choices based on love of God and love of neighbor. Wisdom is living life in the right way with God as its foundation.
If Solomon had asked for wealth, he would have squandered it without wisdom. If Solomon had asked for power and victory over his enemies, he would have become a tyrant, an oppressor and use power for his selfish ends minus wisdom. But because he had wisdom his wealth got multiplied, won over all of Israel’s enemies, and his people prospered both materially and spiritually building a temple for the Lord and composed the wise Proverbs of Holy Scripture.
When we pray, what do we ask from God? Often times, we pray for a solution to our problems. But God usually does not send us a direct solution to our difficulties such as winning the lotto to solve our financial worries. He would always give us the strategy rather than the direct remedy. He would ask us to exert an effort and do our part and not just settle for the easy way out in solving our problems. To help solve our financial concerns for example, God might want us to earn a degree or train for some skills to get a higher paying job, in this way we would not only gain more money, but more knowledge and more virtues as well. God would always prefer that in the process of solving our problems, we grow spiritually, professionally, intellectually, and socially (i.e., in our dealings with others). Thus, we should follow the example of the blind man Bartimaeus when Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Master, that I may see.” (Mark 10:51) For us not just to physically see, but to see the right thing to do and then doing it. That’s wisdom.
