20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

“Watch carefully how you live … because the days are evil” writes St Paul to the Ephesians in today’s second reading.  Given what we have heard and read of the abuse that some priests, bishops, and even cardinals have done to children, young people, and even their younger brother priests, we agree with St Paul and say that these days, our days, are evil too. 

 We struggle with feelings of anger, betrayal, confusion, and disgust.  We don’t hear enough words of outrage or promises of change, justice and repentance from our bishops.  Instead we are chastised because some chose to withhold financial support from the church.  And saddest of all, some of us have decided already that they have had enough and will not be back to church, perhaps ever again.  These are indeed evil days and, as St Paul said, we have to be careful then how we live.

In today’s first reading, wisdom is personified as a lovely Lady who has prepared a meal, compete with choice meat and wine.  She has sent out her maidens inviting all to the feast, especially those who are simple and lack understanding.  She asks us to “forsake foolishness” that we may live and “advance in the way of understanding.”

This is a poetic representation of the Lord God as a beautiful woman who has only good things to offer us to eat and drink, as well as the most helpful gifts of wisdom and understanding.  Perhaps we might hear in it a call to seek a sense of tranquility and being cared for in the middle of the painful and pitiful situation that threatens to overwhelm us. God’s word reminds us that God is still very much with us, even in all of this, and God offers us what we most need.

Likewise, in today’s gospel,  as we continue to hear Jesus in the Bread of Life discourse from John 6, the Lord promises us himself, his flesh and blood, that is given for the life of the world. When we eat his flesh and drink his blood, we remain in him and he remains in us.  We will have life and will live forever.

It is times like this when we need to hold on and believe that God is with us and that evil will not be the final word.  No doubt there are still more painful days ahead as yet more deeds of darkness are brought into the light. But with God’s help and presence, we will still be standing when the storm of sin is through.  

In the meantime, we need to “advance in the way of understanding” as the book of Proverbs promise.  We need also, to try to understand God’s will in all of this, as St. Paul exhorts us.  But most importantly, we need to cling to the Lord in the Eucharist, for Jesus with his flesh and blood can care for us there in ways that will sustain us from now into eternal life. 

 

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised that the powers of death will not prevail against the church. In these evil days, we need to remember that and cling to those words as well.  God is with us.  Jesus remains the center of the church and he and those of us who remain with him will prevail, despite the sins and sufferings that surround us.