READING 1:
Proverbs 9:1-6 Psalm
34: 2-3,4-5,6-7 READING 2: Ephesians 5:15-20 GOSPEL: John 6:51-58
The first reading today, from the Wisdom book of Proverbs, says: “forsake foolishness that you might live; advance in the way of understanding.” The second reading tells everyone, “Do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand the will of the Lord.” These readings are not advice to returning school students to study and learn; the inspired writers, whose words have been recalled for all these centuries, are speaking to all of us. St. Paul is advising the Ephesians that this new Christian way of understanding the world and our lives in the world is reality and anything less is foolishness. The author of Proverbs makes this a matter of life and death. John’s gospel begins with: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…” The Word took flesh as Jesus of Nazareth and went about healing people, proclaiming, “The kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe.” Repenting has nothing to do with shame or blame, in fact, through Jesus shame and blame are conquered. Repent means “change,” that God’s love should secure changes in the way we live and think about life. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us how to understand God’s will. Jesus came that we might have life in abundance and abundant life is ours whenever we eat his body and drink his blood as Catholic Christians have been doing for nearly two thousand years. This is the end of foolishness. This is the end of ignorance. This is the promise of the Word made flesh: God’s love is secured. But change is tough, and even the best news is often rejected. There was a little cricket singing his song in the forest. A great proud lion stretched out nearby for his afternoon nap. But the song of the cricket kept the lion awake. He roared his discontent: “cricket, what are you doing with all that noise; you are disturbing my nap?!” The cricket said, “Sir Lion, I am just singing the song God gave me.” The mighty lion slammed down his huge paw almost crushing the cricket. “Well, stop singing your song or I will crush you next time.” The lion soon went to sleep. While he was sleeping, the cricket crawled into the lion’s ear. Soon he was singing the song God gave him again. The lion awoke in a foul humor. “Where are you, cricket, I told you what I would do if you kept singing that song.” “I am in your ear. Sir Lion, where you cannot harm me and I can sing the song God gave me. You should listen.” The lion opened his claw and swung at his own ear cutting it. As he nursed his wound, the cricket sang. God is trying to tell us something. The Word made flesh, Jesus, brings us God’s love not to condemn us but to heal us. He does not merely enter through our ears as we hear the Word. He enters our mouths as we receive his body and blood and takes his song to our hearts. As we go through the week ahead, let’s listen and understand the good news:
Song by John Michael Talbot, troubadour Fr. Jeff McGowan |
