20th Sunday: Prov 9:1-6. Eph 5:15-20. Jn 6:51-58. - The Gospel this weekend is this: Jn 6:51-58. I am the living bread that came 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." 52 The Jews quarrelled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?" 53 Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54 Whoever eats * my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." - The first reading is this: Prov 9:1-6. Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; 2 She has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. 3 She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: 4 "Let whoever is simple turn in here; to him who lacks understanding, I say, 5 Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! 6 Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding. - The second reading is this: Eph 5:15-20. Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, 16 making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. 18 And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another (in) psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. - MEDITATION: The Gospel this Sunday is of Jesus offering his flesh to eat and his blood to drink. That may sound cannibalistic! But Christ is no ordinary flesh and blood. He isn't dead. The most fundamental truth of Christianity is the Resurrection, and in that sense, we're reading about a nutrition far superior to something just physical. God feeds our minds and hearts… and ‘spirits’. The first reading is from the Old Testament 'Wisdom' books (the book of Proverbs). It speaks in symbolic terms: 'Wisdom' has set up her house and calls mankind to call on her and have a good feed! Any ardent feminists must like the way that the Bible calls 'wisdom' a 'she'! I think that the wise person is the one who appreciates that they still have got a lot to learn. In our modern world, many think that wisdom is a matter of technology and academics, and they are good, but the second reading says that far above that wisdom, is the 'understanding of the will of the Lord' (Eph 5:17). We know that the Trinity will for us to be happy with them forever, but we've got to seek a good understanding of how to make it there. The world through history has had many intelligent brains achieving good things, but let's not have them eclipsing Christ for us. There isn't a single person of the world's intelligentia that physically rose from the dead! However many of them may be 'still around' with God in a 'higher world' - as may all of us simpletons some day. Jesus has 'bent over backwards' to convince us that we're all called to that 'higher world'. But the decision is ours - "Yes" or "No" - "I'll try hard" or "I couldn't really be bothered". Fortunately, Mary said "yes". Our mothers decided that they would 'be bothered' to give each of us physical birth a few years ago, and Mary was asked to be the spiritual mother of us all. She said "Yes". The second reading (Eph 5) calls the 'no' option downright foolishness! 'Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity...'. So we should stop and ponder what should we be doing to make the most of our few years on earth? While some may indulge in mundane pleasures to lighten up their lives, St Paul puts it clearly today: 'Do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always. (Eph 5:18-19). The latter may sound exaggerated, as if it would be nice to greet each other on the street with a little hymn! But it symbolises the attitude to have inside as we relate with people. We don't sing, but we smile and chat as friends. The talk of singing may seem superficial, and it's true that some people take the singing and music at mass too seriously, but at appropriate times, it helps to move our hearts. A guy can say "I love you" to a girl, but it's not the same as singing her a love-song! God is love itself and is the creater of all lovely things and people. So we sing to our God! Jesus says today "Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me" (Jn 6:57). Jesus combines 'having life' with being sent, and I think that that's true for us all. 'Having life' goes hand in hand with 'being sent'! The one who gives is the one who gains. The challenge of communicating the Good News to others stimulates meditation and prayer because it gets us to think deeply about what we're going to say - or write! ....... Dara. - - En ESPAÑOL: - 20º Domingo: Prov 9:1-6. Ef 5:15-20. Jn 6:51-58. El Evangelio este domingoes de Jesús ofreciendo su carne para comer y su sangre para beber. ¡Eso puede parecer canibalístico! Pero Jesús no es ninguna carne y sangre ordinaria. Él no está muerto. La verdad más fundamental de la fe Cristiana es la resurrección, y en ese sentido, estamos leyendo sobre una nutrición muy superior a algo físico. Dios alimenta nuestras mentes y nuestros corazones… y espiritus. La primera lectura es de ‘los libros de Sabiduría’ (el libro de Proverbios) del Antiguo Testamento. Habla en términos simbólicos: La Sabiduría ha preparado su casa y ha llamado a la humanidad para visitarla y tener un alimento bueno. ¡A lo mejor les gusta a las fenenistas como la Biblia llama a ‘la sabiduría’ una mujer! Yo creo que la persona sabia es la que aprecia que todavía debería aprender mucho más. En nuestro mundo moderno, muchos piensan que la sabiduría es una cuestión de tecnología y cosa académica, y ellos son buenos, pero la segunda lectura dice que importa aún más saber la voluntad del Señor (Ef 5:17). Sabemos que la Trinidad quieren tenernos eternamente contentos con ellos, pero tenemos que buscar nosotros cómo llegar allí. El mundo a través de la historia ha tenido muchas inteligencias que han logrado cosas buenas, pero no los tengamos eclipsando a Cristo para nosotros. ¡No hay ni una sola persona de la inteligencia del mundo que resucitó físicamente de la muerte! Sin embargo puede ser que muchos de ellos están viviendo con Dios en ‘un mundo más alto’ - ¡como podremos nosotros tontos algún día! Jesús se dobla al revés para convencernos que estamos todos llamados al ‘mundo superior’. Pero la decisión es nuestra - "Sí" o "No" - "yo intentaré con esfuerzo" o "no me interesa tanto". Afortunadamente, María dijo que "sí". Nuestras madres humanas decidieron aguantar nuestros nacimientos físicos hace unos años, y María fue pedida ser la madre espiritual de nosotros todos. Ella dijo "Sí". ¡La segunda lectura (Ef 5) dice que la opción “no” es claramente una tontería! 'Entonces ten cuidado como vives, no como personas tontas sino como sabios, haciendo lo mejor que se puede... '. Entonces deberíamos parar y pensar bien qué deberíamos hacer para aprovechar bien de nuestros pocos años en la tierra. Mientras algunos pueden complacer en los placeres mundanos para alumbrar a sus vidas, San Pablo lo pone claramente hoy: 'No os emborrachéis con el vino en que está el libertinaje, sino llenaos del Espíritu, saludando uno al otro con salmos y canciones espirituales, alabando al Señor en sus corazones, dando gracias siempre.’ (Ef 5:18-19). El último puede sonar exagerado, ¡como si fuera bueno saludarnos en la calle con un pequeño himno! Pero simboliza la actitud a tener por dentro cuando nos relacionamos con la gente. No toca cantar, sino sonreír y charlar como amigos. Proponer cantar puede parecer superficial, y es verdad que algunas personas toman el canto y la música en la misa demasiado en serio, pero en los momentos apropiados, ayuda mover nuestros corazones. ¡Un tipo puede decir "te amo" a una muchacha, pero no es igual que cantarla una canción de amor! Dios es amor y es el creador de codas las cosas y personas encantadoras. ¡Entonces cantemos a nuestro Dios! Jesús dice hoy "Como el Padre me envió y tengo la vida por Él, también el que se alimenta de mí tendrá la vida por mí" (Jn 6:57). Jesús combina 'tener la vida' con ‘ser enviado’, y creo que también es para nosotros todos. ¡Tener la vida va junto con ser enviado! Él que da es qué recibe. El desafío de comunicar bien la Buena Nueva a otros estimula meditación y oración porque consigue que pensemos profundamente sobre lo que vamos a decir - ¡o escribir! ....... Dara. Comments are closed.
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