This twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time the readings call us to live in Wisdom and with Understanding. Each word exhorts us to seek the true food we have in Jesus, the Bread of Life, so we can live in a way that pleases God the Father.
In Proverbs (9:1-6) Wisdom is presented to us as a Lady who has acquired the highest level and invites us to a banquet where she gives us food and wine while encouraging us to live a life full of understanding. This reading asks us to abandon worldly nonsense and choose to live full of understanding as Lady Wisdom fills us with true life.
Paul tells us in Ephesians (5:15-20) to live wisely, always understanding the will of God, and avoiding getting drunk but rather expressing joy through spiritual music and constant thanksgiving to God. Paul reminds us that when we truly live in Wisdom, we begin to understand God's will in our lives. Paul asks us to be cautious with our way of living, while enjoying every opportunity to be better. Apart from that he encourages us to be always grateful to God. This gratitude helps us live with a satisfied and joyful heart because we recognize every blessing that God the Father gives us.
John (6:51-58) tells us how Jesus declares that He is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven, and that he offers us eternal life through his Body and Blood. Jesus has offered himself as the greatest Sacrifice for our salvation. That is why He invites us to eat of His Body and drink of His Blood every Sunday because it is the only thing that will lead us to eternal life. This promise of being eternal like God is the main focus of all the readings and we find Christ as the center of everything.
It is said that when we drink excessively, we lose our sanity. That is because we lose our wisdom to identify good from evil and therefore do not understand our own actions. But, the Bible speaks of wine and feasting in many passages. Why? Because parties in Jesus' time (and even in our time) are the only opportunity to stand out as "the best party" - the best music, the best food, and of course the best drinks for our guests.
Jesus always used the image of a wedding and party to represent the Kingdom of God because God wants to GIVE US THE BEST: The best life, the best wisdom, the best way to live in his Kingdom. Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Then he tells us that the wine becomes his Blood to save us in the Last Supper. Understanding and Wisdom are gifts of the Holy Spirit. And it is through this Paraclete that we come to understand that only by nourishing ourselves with the Eucharist do we show our gratitude to God, we become acceptant of His Will, and joyful of living a life in love with God thus transmitting that love to everyone around us.
PRAYER: Good and Eternal Father, thank you for your Son who sacrificed His life for me. Thank you because His Body and Blood encourage us to live in this world full of envy, pain, wars, and lacking love. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that comforts me. I ask You to guide me along the path of Wisdom so that I can live in Understanding that It is Your Will that governs my life. I surrender myself into your hands so that every minute I live in this world may be a reflection of your Love. Amen.