Sunday August 16, 2009 the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Date: Sunday August 16, 2009, 20th Sunday Ordinary Time
Readings: Proverbs 9:1-6 Psalm 34:2-7
Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58

Ya' hadda be there!
We've all heard this expression many times. It is used to emphasize the impossibility of really "Knowing" another's sensibility. We can't really know how someone hurts or feels. Even if we experience the same or similar bone fracture or sociological trauma, it's just not the same as the other guys. John is writing toward the end of the first century to his community of 3rd or 4th generation of Christians. They probably weren't too familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. Therefore, they, like we, needed some commentary. This 6th Chapter of John was written after Mark, Matthew, Luke and 1st Corinthians, all of which has d narratives of the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. John may have thought it, the Eucharist, should be the focus and fact of the Christian experience. So, he focused on the reasons his community should believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament. Chapter 6 begins with the multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of the 5000. John shows his community, HOW, Jesus Body and Blood could be multiplied. "God said, and so it was!' (Gen.1) Then John has Jesus proclaim the absolute necessity of eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood. John is writing retrospectively about the reaction of the Jews in Jesus time. They responded to His declaration with horror! Eat Human Flesh!!! Drink Blood!!! Both were forbidden by the Law of Moses as sinful! Wisdom, who was there when creation occurred, is telling us in Proverbs, to eat and drink what she has put before is. But, don't stop there! Fill your hearts and minds with the things of God, so you can better understand what Christ asks of us. Eat My Flesh- Drink My Blood indeed!

The Ephesians were enjoined by Paul, "don't be fools, be thoughtful men; make the most of the NOW; learn all you can and avoid the pitfalls of sin. Don't drink! Otherwise your brain gets dulled and you do things you wouldn't normally.

The Psalm implores us to keep God always in our thoughts. If we do, we, then, have to consciously obliterate Him from our thoughts to commit sin. We would then be grievously damaged. However, call out to Him; He will provide the strength we thought we didn't have.



Jesus doesn't back off from His proclamation. The Jews didn't like the idea of His claim to have been sent down from Heaven. "That would make Him God!" They liked it even less, when He told them to eat his Flesh and drink His Blood. In order to make His statement more emphatic, the repeated word, translated "FEEDS", four times. Some translators use the word "eats". But the original Greek has a crude way of expressing His word. "Gnaw or Munch" is a much more graphic translation and, therefore, not easily sloughed off by those who are a bit queasy. Jesus meant what He said and said what He wanted His hearers to hear and understand. Chewing entails having some substance to gnaw or munch on. We must remember the last supper command, "This is My Body, this is My Blood" and, "Do this in remembrance of Me" If Jesus wanted to temper His words," Eat My Flesh Drink My Blood", He could have said," Gee, fellows, I didn't mean My Flesh and My Blood". However, HE DIDN'T and WE SHOULDN'T!