Saints of God, the Lord be with you!
All three readings this weekend make mention of food and wine, so it might be good to reflect on all those things that we take into our bodies that may or may not nourish us.
In the Book of Proverbs (9:1-6), the author imagines Wisdom setting a feasting table not for the wise, but the simple. It’s not so much that the wise are not invited, it’s that more than likely, they will not respond to the invitation to feast on all the God’s Wisdom has prepared. To those who are humble enough and willing to feast, Wisdom invites them to “forsake foolishness…and advance in the way of understanding.”
Perhaps what we need to come to understand is that God’s ways are not always our ways (…and to some, this is not Good News).
In Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (5:15-20), he warns us in not overindulging in wine (or any other beverage or substance) that might get us intoxicated and lead us to actions not beneficial to ourselves and others. Instead, we are to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and inspired songs.” To be honest, this seems a bit over the top to me. However, Paul does suggest that we “give thanks to the Lord in your hearts.”
Now that, I can do.
Finally, the Gospel according to John (6:51-58) has Jesus saying, “I am the living bread come down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” How often do we truly feast on Jesus or have we become so complacent that our coming to communion is just a habit with no thought behind it? I say this because many people genuflect to an empty tabernacle after receiving the Eucharistic Bread, the Body of Christ. In a way, we become a living tabernacle, so why the genuflection? When we eat, our food becomes us (my big belly is due to an overabundance of potato chips). With the Eucharist, we are to become the Body of Christ: He whom we have received. His life is now our life, and we are called to take His life into the world. Let us fast from all those things that are detrimental to our life in Christ. Let us feast on Christ, our true life now and into eternity.
– Fr. Steve
