Pastor's Reflection - July 26, 2026

Growing In Discernment

In our first reading this weekend we hear the impressive story of Solomon being offered anything he wished from the Lord. He chose the gift of wisdom (knowledge of God) instead of material riches. The Lord rewarded this choice, and his kingship began on a very good footing.

Unfortunately, Solomon took many foreign wives and concubines (700 wives, 300 concubines; 1 Kings 11:3). These marriages led him to tolerate and ultimately participate in the worship of their gods. Scripture explicitly says his heart was turned away from the Lord.

I cannot help but think the same thing has happened in many of our Catholic institutions of learning. In the desire to be inclusive and to appeal to a wider audience, many Catholic schools and universities have lost their Catholic identity and become private schools that make a pretense of our faith while denying its real power (cf. 2 Tim 3:5).

Right before he was elected, our 265th pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote:

“Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism — that is, letting oneself be ‘tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine’ — seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.

We, however, have a different goal: the Son of God, the true man. He is the measure of true humanism. An ‘adult’ faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature, adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceit from truth.

We must develop this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith. And it is this faith — only faith — that creates unity and is fulfilled in love.”

St. Paul reminds us that without love we are nothing but a clanging symbol. Love is not tolerating anything and everything; it is rooted in the truth God has revealed to us.

Let us pray for a mature faith, rooted in love for God and for one another, that does not compromise but speaks the truth in love (cf. Eph 4:15).

In Christ,

Fr. James Northrop, Pastor