Catechesis Notes for the Week — Solomon’s Heart Turns from the Lord — The magnificent wise reign of King Solomon ended with him turning from the Lord and accommodating the false pagan worship of his many wives. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but the compromising of his faith in the Lord ushered into Israel the poison of false doctrine, false worship, and the unbridled pursuit of satisfying the appetites of the flesh. As a result of his sins of unfaithfulness, the Lord divided Israel into two nations. The northern kingdom of Israel was led by Jeroboam who ushered in a liturgy that kept the citizens of the north from worshiping in Jerusalem. The southern kingdom of Judah was led by Rehoboam who had none of the wisdom of his father Solomon but began a tyrannical reign of high taxes that forced the northern tribes to revolt. May these lessons from the Old Testament warn us of the dangers of compromising our faith and following our fleshly appetites.CP241013