A reading from the book of Proverbs
(Chapter 9:1-6)
The woman identified as Wisdom in the first reading today seems to be saying, “Stop what you’re doing and spend some time thinking about your life.” And Wisdom is offering an incentive and nourishment—food and drink. This advice, often attributed to King Solomon, foreshadows our lives in the Eucharist. We fully celebrate and receive the sacrament not simply by participating in the ritual but by opening our minds and hearts to is power to renew us, to make us more perfect reflections of God’s gift to the world: the body and blood of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm
(Psalm 34:2-3, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15)
“I will bless the Lord at all times,” the psalm says, “his praise shall ever be in my mouth. … Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.” Our faith in Jesus Christ should not be something we keep to ourselves as though we’re afraid of being ridiculed in a society that increasingly neglects or rejects devotion to God. Let our faith shine in our faces and echo in our voices. How else can we spread the gospel?
A reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians
(Chapter 5:15-20)
This passage suggests that Paul might have recently read the passage from the book of Proverbs, because he, too, urges folks to reflect on their lives and “try to understand what is the will of the Lord.” Like the author of Proverbs, he tells us to be wise, not ignorant. “Ignorant” doesn’t mean stupid; it means not knowing. By listening to the Word of God, by praying both in the assembly and in private, by reading and reflecting on Scripture, and by inviting the Holy Spirit to flourish in our hearts, we can know and live by the will of God.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John
(Chapter 6: 51-58)
This passage continues the theme that was introduced three weeks ago by the account of Jesus feeding thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread. For the past two Sundays and again today, we have heard what that miracle signified as Jesus describes himself as “the bread come down from heaven.” “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood,” Jesus says in today’s reading, “remains in me and I in him.” While some see only symbolism in those words, there really is no ambiguity there. The bread come down from heaven—more precisely, the body and blood of Jesus—gives us the unique opportunity to enter into the unique intimacy of physical union with Christ, who is the Son of God. In the Eucharist, we are touched by God.
Photo by Silvain Brison on UnsplashExcerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
Charles Paolino is managing editor at RENEW International and a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Metuchen.