In many and varied ways, we are so often asked: “What do you want.” Often the question is asked around the topic of food: what do you want for dinner tonight; at restaurants “what can I get you” or “what’ll you have.” We are sometimes asked what we want for birthdays or Christmas. There are many times and circumstances we hear the word: “What do you want?”

God comes to King Solomon in a dream and basically asks, “What do you want?” And suddenly the stakes are a whole lot higher than dinner or birthdays. And it raises the question for us – are we remotely prepared to answer that question? Are we ready to stand before God who is always reaching out to us and saying: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you” ?

I suspect many of us are not prepared to answer that simple question that will come again and again in life – isn’t it even part of our daily prayer? Give us this day or daily bread…. And perhaps we are asking the small things: “Lord make me more patient….” “Lord, remove this temptation from my life….” “Lord, help my friend who is having a rough time…” But are we prepared to face the bigger than life question that King Solomon faced. A young man, son of the great king of Israel, King David – a son with some awful big shoes to fill, a young man raised in the privilege of court, one who easily could have been just like his own son Rehoboam will eventually be: spoiled, tyrannical and worse. But Solomon asks for an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong and so to be a king who would lead people to God… not to his own throne, but to the throne of God.

What do you want? Have you thought about it? Or are you waiting to see what comes along? Are you in drift mode. And I have to tell you I am a reasonably good example of drift mode.

• Swimming – my sister knew what she wanted: a date with Michael Caruso and he was on the swim team. Me? I just went along because my mom said all us kids were gonna’ be on the swim team. Michael Caruso quit within two weeks, but I had already drifted into swimming. What did I want from swimming? I don’t think I asked the question – even though I swam competitively all through college and still compete today.
• College – never particularly wanted it, it just what you did. My dad asked if I wanted to go to college – that was right before he told me about the downturn in business and that I would have to get a scholarship or work my way through college. My favorite teacher, Mrs. McCann, when I told her about my situation, quickly reasoned: good student and swimmer, swimmer-water, water-Navy, and voilá : United States Naval Academy. I had never heard of it. I just sorta’ drifted in . There were other young men I met there who wanted to be there to be naval aviators, submariners, US Marines. I did not know what I wanted.
• Career: even though I served 8 years after graduation – and did well – I still never asked myself what I wanted. And if God was asking – and I am sure He was – can’t say as though I was listening – and in any case, I never engaged the question. Drifted from the Navy to a career in engineering consulting and suddenly I had a career in informational technology, an MBA and a career. Some friends and I started a company and sold a company, and started another. Funny thing was that we had a plan and I contributed my energy and skill, but I can’t say it was what I wanted – it was what I thought I was supposed to be doing.
• Now there is a whole part of my life parallel to this as I became more involved in parish life, volunteering in Bible studies, RCIA, EM, home visits – and I liked it a lot. But I never asked the question was this what I wanted.
• I knew I wanted a break in life and that I was beginning to search – and the details of this next move are part of another homily, so just allow me to jump in – in a radical move I went from CIO of an international company to a Franciscan lay missionary in the slums of Nairobi. Francis of Assisi kinda’ drifted too. Even after he had already made the radical move to poverty he was still searching. And then he heard a gospel that made him exclaim: This is what I want, this is the life I desire
• One winter night in our little shack that served as the parish house for Parokia Moyo Mtakatifu (Sacred Heart), I knew what I wanted. And I prayed for guidance and discernment: “Ask something of me and I will give it to you” ? I had found the pearl of great price. And I did as the Lord instructed – gave away all that I had to obtain it. And here I stand before you. This life of priestly service – this is the life I desire.

And perhaps for the first time I knew what I wanted, I knew the life I desired. It only took about half a century to answer the question God asks all of us. Thank you Jesus that you let the weeds grow right along with the wheat (last week’s gospel in case you have forgotten) – given enough time even the weeds can change and be transformed in the grace of God to something worth harvesting.

So… what do you want? Tough stuff. Here is what I can tell you: You are known by God, you are predestined to answer his call, so as to be justified and glorified. That what God wants. What do you want? It is the question of our lives.

May you open your heart that God may fill it with his wisdom, may He give you an understanding heart, and lead you to fulfillment of your deepest desire in God. May you discover the pearl of great price. Amen