In the first reading, King Solomon recognised he was too young to govern God's numerous people when he assumed the throne of his father David, so he asked God for an understanding heart to judge and to distinguish right from wrong. God was very pleased by his faith and humility, and granted his desires and, on top of that, gave him other blessings in life.

In the same manner, God desires that each of us seek those divine gifts of wisdom, prudence, and well-functioning conscience as we translate His teaching and guidance into action in loving service and building up the Kingdom of God. Like the psalmist, we pray, "I have sought You with all my heart; let me not stray from Your commands."

In the Gospel reading today, we see Jesus exercising His divine wisdom to discern what best to do as He shepherds His flock. His merciful love has first led Him to take the Apostles to a deserted place to rest with Him after the tiring work of healing and preaching. However, Jesus' compassion senses the urgency to meet the needs of the great crowd looking for Him, because they hunger for His teaching. We learn from Jesus to be in tune with God's heart and mind, to be able to discern God's desire for His people whether in quiet prayer and contemplation, or in active ministry reaching out to His people.