Approval and surrender are not always our choice

The visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon is related in the text from 1 Kings in the Roman Catholic lectionary for today. The apparent “stamp of approval” of Solomon by a foreign (perhaps North Africa) ruler seems unusual. The collection of people who Jesus has with Him to accomplish His mission is also very unusual. The selection of our companions and those who ‘judge us’ is often not ours to make. The path for those are trying to be attentive to the indwelling Spirit may be as marvelous and unpredictable as the nature of Divine Spirit. It promises and invites the trust in Providence evidenced in the life of Solomon and essential in the disciples of Jesus, even though the path may include our hard headedness or the hard headedness of our companions as Mark shows today.