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Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, July 27, 2008

First reading, 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12

The Historical Situation: In the Hebrew Scriptures there is a large section of history divided, somewhat arbitrarily, into the books from Joshua to 2 Kings. The drama consistently goes like this: God is good to the people and asks only their fidelity; the people and their leaders (kings, priests and prophets) sin, usually by idolatry; God angrily punishes them, often through an enemy nation; the people suffer and ask forgiveness; God grants mercy and the cycle begins again. Today's reading tells of a spiritual high point in the life of King Solomon, but other chapters predictably tell of his sins.

Proclaiming It: You should read this as a story, that is, dramatically, making the voices of the speakers sound like real dialog. I don't mean this irreverently, but think of how you would tell a child a story about a beachcomber who finds a brass lamp; a genie emerges and offers the finder three wishes ... Today's first reading has a similar dramatic character, although theologically it's miles above anything in The Arabian Nights.

Your reading should make wisdom sound like the most desirable thing on earth. Make God sound absolutely delighted to grant Solomon's wish. Make your listeners want to ask God for wisdom. Make them want wisdom more than they want a winning lottery ticket or a brass lamp.

Second Reading, Romans 8:28-30

Proclaiming it in Another Possible Liturgical Setting: But maybe no one is helping your community tune in to this challenging letter. Still, there are two sayings here that might fall on some eager ears.

• "All things work for good for those who love God."
  Say that deliberately, and pause afterward. Give it a chance to sink in. Someone there needs to hear this, even if they'll make of it something other than Paul intended.
• "And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified."
  This means God is calling people through stages of spiritual growth, whatever the meaning of the technical terms for each stage. Name the stages (speak the clauses) rhythmically, suggesting that they're progressive (and implying that it's OK to have progress still to make).
  That those called are plural is also significant. God calls individuals to holiness only in the community context. (And the plural number of the verb "predestined" excuses everyone from another dreary discussion of individual predestination.)

Several other commentaries on these passages. All are thoughtful, all quite readable, from the scholarly to the popular. Links may be incomplete more than a few weeks before the "due date."
Lutheran pastor and college teacher Dan Nelson's notes for a study group	From the heartland of the U.S.A., two priest-columnists, both learned and wise, with a great common touch: Father Roger Karban's syndicated column about these readings, from 2002, Father Karban's 2005 column, and his 1999 column. The 2002 column of Jesuit Father Francis X. Cleary, From the site of the Saint Louis Review.
The Text This Week; links to homilies, art works, movies and other resources on the week's scripture themes.	Saint Louis University's excellent new liturgy site. (An excerpt from 'Living Liturgy'; Encounter the Word with John Kavanaaugh, S. J.; Historical Cultural Context of this Sunday's Gospel; Thoughts from the Early Church Fathers; Prepare for Sunday with Larry Gillick, S. J.; Scripture in Depth with Reginald Fuller) Most welcome here are Reginald Fuller's commentaries.

The Lectionary selections in the frame at the left, if any, are there for your convenience. The publishers of the page in that frame have no connection, except for membership in the one Body of Christ, with the publisher of this page. Likewise the publishers of the pages on the links above.