Daily Readings - Sun Aug 18 2024

¹Wisdom has built a house for herself. She has hewn seven columns²She has immolated her victims. She has mixed her wine and set forth her table³She has sent her maids to call out to the tower and to the fortified walls of the city⁴"If anyone is little, let him come to me." And to the unwise, she has said⁵"Approach. Eat my bread, and drink the wine that I have mixed for you⁶Leave behind childishness. And live and walk by the ways of prudence.

Ephesians

Chapter 5

¹⁵And so, brothers, see to it that you walk cautiously, not like the foolish¹⁶but like the wise: atoning for this age, because this is an evil time¹⁷For this reason, do not choose to be imprudent. Instead, understand what is the will of God¹⁸And do not choose to be inebriated by wine, for this is self-indulgence. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit¹⁹speaking among yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles, singing and reciting psalms to the Lord in your hearts²⁰giving thanks always for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God the Father

John

Chapter 6

⁵¹I am the living bread, who descended from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread, he shall live in eternity. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.⁵²Therefore, the Jews debated among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?⁵³And so, 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 will not have life in you⁵⁴Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day⁵⁵For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink⁵⁶Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him⁵⁷Just as the living Father has sent me and I live because of the Father, so also whoever eats me, the same shall live because of me⁵⁸This is the bread that descends from heaven. It is not like the manna that your fathers ate, for they died. Whoever eats this bread shall live forever.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the invitation of Wisdom and the gift of eternal life offered by Christ. In the first reading from Proverbs, Wisdom prepares a banquet, calling out to those who are simple or unwise to come and partake of her bread and wine. This passage is a metaphor for the pursuit of wisdom and the transformation it brings to our lives. Wisdom is not just knowledge but a way of living, a path that requires us to leave behind childishness and walk in prudence. The second reading from Ephesians echoes this call to live wisely, urging us to understand God’s will and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It reminds us that our lives should be marked by gratitude and joy, even in the midst of challenges. The Gospel reading from John takes this invitation to a deeper level. Jesus identifies himself as the living bread come down from heaven, offering his flesh and blood for the life of the world. This passage is at the heart of our Catholic faith, pointing to the Eucharist as the source and summit of our spiritual lives. Just as Wisdom invites us to her table, Christ invites us to partake of his body and blood, promising us eternal life and union with him. The Jews in the Gospel struggled to understand this teaching, just as we may sometimes find it difficult to grasp the mystery of the Eucharist. Yet, Jesus is clear: to have life in us, we must receive him fully and completely. These readings call us to examine how we respond to God’s invitation in our daily lives. Are we seeking wisdom and living in a way that reflects our faith? Do we approach the Eucharist with reverence and gratitude, recognizing the gift of Christ’s very self? Let us ask for the grace to live wisely, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to deepen our union with Christ through the sacraments. May we embrace the transformative power of God’s love, leaving behind what is childish and walking in the ways of prudence, so that we may truly live and abide in him.