*Sacred Scripture* Judgement of Solomon – Rubens
April 13
As recounted in 1 Kings 3:16–28, King Solomon of the Old Testament judges two women who each claim to be mother of a living baby. One of the mothers has a dead infant, but neither of the women will claim it. When the King commands his men to slay the living baby, the real mother begs him to spare the life of the child, even if the other woman should take it. Solomon recognizes the true mother by her desire to save her child. Artwork by Peter Paul Rubens.
1Kings:16-28
Solomon’s Listening Heart.*
16Later, two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
17One woman said: “By your leave, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth in the house while she was present.
18On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were alone; no one else was in the house with us; only the two of us were in the house.
19This woman’s son died during the night when she lay on top of him.
20So in the middle of the night she got up and took my son from my side, as your servant was sleeping. Then she laid him in her bosom and laid her dead son in my bosom.
21I rose in the morning to nurse my son, and he was dead! But when I examined him in the morning light, I saw it was not the son I had borne.”
22The other woman answered, “No! The living one is my son, the dead one is yours.” But the first kept saying, “No! the dead one is your son, the living one is mine!” Thus they argued before the king.
23Then the king said: “One woman claims, ‘This, the living one, is my son, the dead one is yours.’ The other answers, ‘No! The dead one is your son, the living one is mine.’”
24The king continued, “Get me a sword.” When they brought the sword before the king,
25he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other.”
26* The woman whose son was alive, because she was stirred with compassion for her son, said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby—do not kill it!” But the other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours. Cut it in two!”
27The king then answered, “Give her the living baby! Do not kill it! She is the mother.”
28When all Israel heard the judgment the king had given, they were in awe of him, because they saw that the king had in him the wisdom of God for giving right judgment.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/3
Saying the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always.
1-A prayer from Raphael the Archangel:
*While you are on this earth, you must praise the Lord God and give him thanks.
2-A prayer from Tobit and Tobias:
*They began to sing hymns of praise, giving thanks for all the mighty deeds God had done while his angel Raphael had been with them.
3-A simple Jesus prayer:
*Lord, Lord, Jesus Christ…Son of God…have mercy on me…Be kind to others…Work Hard…Be joyful.
4-Another prayer:
*When all that God asks of us is to be quiet and keep ourselves at peace-attentive to the secret work He is beginning in our souls-Be Empty and See That I Am God.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Ps 143:10