Asking for the Right Gift

Today’s readings place before us a gentle but searching question:

What do we ask of God when we are given the chance?

In the first reading from 1 Kings, Solomon comes to Gibeon to offer sacrifice.

The Lord appears to him in a dream
and says something extraordinary:

“Ask what I shall give you.”

This is not a test.
It is an invitation.

Solomon could ask for power.
For long life.
For victory over enemies.

Instead, he asks for wisdom.

“Give your servant an understanding heart
to govern your people,
that I may discern between good and evil.”

Solomon recognises his own limitations.

He does not pretend to be sufficient for the task.

That humility matters.

Solomon does not ask to avoid responsibility. He asks to carry it well.

And because Solomon asks for what serves others,
God gives him more than he asked for.

Wisdom first. Everything else follows.

This moment sets the direction for Solomon’s reign.

Not perfection — but clarity.

God delights when we ask for the things that align us with His will.

The Gospel from Mark shows us Jesus living that same clarity.

The apostles return from mission, tired and full of stories.

Jesus sees their need.

“Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.”

This is not indulgence. It is care.

Mission without rest leads to exhaustion.
Activity without prayer leads to emptiness.

But even this moment of rest is interrupted.

The crowds arrive first.

And Jesus does not react with irritation.

“He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

Notice what moves Jesus.

Not demand.
Not pressure.

Need.

He sets aside his own plans to respond to theirs.

And he begins to teach them many things.

This is wisdom in action.

Not cleverness.
Not efficiency.

Discernment rooted in love.

Solomon asks for wisdom to govern God’s people rightly.

Jesus embodies wisdom by seeing, understanding, and responding
to human need.

Placed together, these readings show us that wisdom is not abstract. 

It is relational.

It listens.
It notices.
It chooses what serves life.

We often think of wisdom as having the right answers.

Scripture presents wisdom
as asking the right things.

Solomon asks for an understanding heart.
Jesus sees hearts in need
and responds with compassion.

This is especially important
for us in ordinary time.

Most of our lives
are lived in between
great moments.

Between success and failure.
Between rest and work.
Between desire and fulfilment.

The question today
is not dramatic.

It is practical:

What do we ask God for — really?

Do we ask for outcomes?
For control?
For relief?

Or do we ask for wisdom —
the grace to see clearly,
to choose well,
and to love rightly?

Jesus’ compassion in the Gospel
is not sentimental.

It is costly.

He gives time,
attention,
and himself.

True wisdom
always costs something.

But it also bears fruit.

God tells Solomon,
“I give you a wise and discerning mind.”

And through that gift,
the people are served.

Jesus gives teaching and presence,
and the crowd is fed —
first with truth,
and later with bread.

Today’s readings invite us
to trust that God knows
what we truly need.

When we ask for wisdom,
we are asking
to live aligned with God’s heart.

May we learn from Solomon
to ask for what truly matters.

And may we learn from Jesus
that wisdom is shown
not only in decisions,
but in compassion.

For when we ask rightly
and love generously,
God’s grace has room to work.