Sunday:       TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Date:         August 20, 2000
Year:         B
The readings: [Prov. 9:1-6; Ephes. 5:15-20; Jn. 6:51-8]
The message:  In full communion with God and the Church.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  1623

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Greetings to all in the Name of the glorious Lord Jesus who show impartiality towards all. As parishioners or visitors, young or old, male or female, married or single, the Lord God loves us all equally. He has the best interest of each and everyone of us, seeking to grant us salvation and eternal life in His Kingdom.

Today's three readings that were just read from the Word of God can be summarized in a few simple words: "Be in full communion with God and the Church!"

What does it mean to be in full communion with God? It means to obey the commandments of God so we may be in perfect harmony in our daily personal relationship with Him.

What does it mean to be in full communion with the Church? It means to obey the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church that has been instituted on earth through Jesus. It means that, as the Church is obligated to relate the teachings of Christ to the people so they may know the ways of the Lord God, the faithful are obligated by their baptismal promise to live their faith in Christ according to the teachings of the Church. By doing so, the faithful become in perfect harmony with the Body of Christ in their daily personal relationship with the Church.

Today's readings speak of wisdom versus foolishness. They are an invitation to wisdom. And, in this particular case, the wisdom that is spoken of, is our participation in the banquet of the Lord. Wisdom tells us to get our lives in order for two reasons. First of all, so we may participate in the banquet of the Lord in His physical Presence through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Secondly, so we may participate in the heavenly banquet in the spiritual Presence of the Lord by inheriting our salvation through Christ. To achieve this goal, we must be in full communion with God and the Church.

Most of the content of today's first reading was symbolic. "Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars." In other words, God is establishing His Kingdom on earth as in Heaven. The earthly Kingdom is the mystical body of Christ. The number seven is symbolic of perfection. God's perfection is seen through the Church, a reflection of the invisible mystical Body of Christ. Our perfection is found through our participation in the Church Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, we worship God in spirit and truth. For the Father seeks such as these to worship Him. [Jn. 4:23-4]

The reference to mixing the wine in the first reading is a reference to spices being added to the wine to increase its flavour. This was a common practice in those days. The table has been set, the animals slaughtered and the wine mixed. Meat and wine are the foods of a great feast. This is a prophetic and symbolic reference to Christ instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist on the night of the Last Supper.

Invite the simple! Who are the simple? They are those who are searching for the truth with a sincerity of heart. They are those who are open-minded to the truth as taught by Christ. Most little children are simple. They have blind faith in Jesus and Mary, longing for the blessed hope of the promises of the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. They believe!

We as adults have been influenced by our environment, our families, our friends, our co-workers, etc... We have a tendency of setting aside that simplicity. We create a multiplicity of problems that impede our spiritual growth. We question the teachings of the Church, some even challenging them. If we spent as much time on our spiritual growth as we spend on challenging the teachings of the Church, surely, most of us would be very holy. But as we all know, our human nature is in constant conflict with our spiritual nature. Day after day, we struggle to overcome the human nature. The answer to spiritual peace lies in placing our lives in the care of the Lord Jesus by becoming simple, by trusting in Him, in His guidance, His teachings, His infinite love, His promise of salvation that leads to eternal peace and joy.

Our participation in the Eucharistic banquet is itself an anticipation of the heavenly banquet. Jesus said, "Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." [Jn. 6:51, 58] We all need the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist as our assurance of salvation. Without it, we are dead. Without it, we will not enter the Kingdom of God.

Nowadays, it is sad how many among us neglect to speak up for the salvation of our children, our grandchildren, our nephews and nieces, etc... by not emphasizing the absolute necessity of the Sacrament of Baptism. Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit." [Jn. 3:5] No one will enter the Kingdom of God unless they are baptized.

I am sure that most of you have heard the parable of the Wedding Banquet. [Mt. 22:1-14] The king sent his slave to call those who were invited to his banquet. They refused to come. Enraged, the king sent his troops and destroyed them. Then, the king sent his slaves to invite all those that could be found on the street. They came and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' The man was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

What does the wedding robe represent? Why did the king have this man thrown in the fire of hell? It is because the man had not been baptized. He had not received the new creation, [2 Cor. 5:17. Gal. 6:15] the new heart and spirit [Ezek. 11:19, 18:31, 26:26] of the godly seed, [1 Jn. 3:9] as his assurance of salvation.

To be in full communion with God and with the Church, we must be baptized. Then we must maintain our state of grace through the Sacrament of Confession so we can participate in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the banquet of the Lord Jesus. All of these Sacraments are absolutely necessary for our salvation!

Baptism alone does not save anyone! Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we receive the promise of salvation! If we were to die today in a state of sin, having neglected the Sacraments of Confession and of the Holy Eucharist for a number of years, we would go straight to Hell. If we want to be saved, we must obey God and the Church. We must receive the Sacrament of Confession to regain our righteousness and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist that leads to salvation by feeding our souls.

In today's Second Reading, Saint Paul said, "Brothers and sisters, be careful how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Knowing the will of the Lord and applying it are two different things. It is no different then words without actions. We who believe in Christ must apply the love of Christ towards God and others through our actions.

As children of God, we are called to be filled with the Spirit. We are called to continuous praise the Lord God in all things, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among ourselves. We are called to sing and make music to the Lord in our hearts, always giving thanks to the Father at all time and for everything in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My brothers and sisters, are we all filled with the Holy Spirit? Are we obeying the commandments of God? Are we all baptized and receiving the Sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist? Are we continuously giving thanks to the Lord God in our hearts for having opened our eyes to the way, the truth and the life? Blessed are those who are on this path for they will surely see the Kingdom of God.

In conclusion, in today's Gospel, Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day."

Let this week be a week of serious reflection. Are we in full communion with God and the Church? Do we know someone who is not? What are we going to do about it? If we know someone who is not baptized, what can we do to see to it that the person gets baptized? It is a matter of life and death! If we know someone who is not receiving the Sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist, let us reach out to him or her. Let us help that person to come back in full communion with God and the Church.

Let us "Come to Jesus, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let ourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." [1 Pet. 2:5]

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table. She has sent out her servant girls, she calls from the highest places in the town, 'You that are simple, turn in here.'

To those without sense she says, 'Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight.'" [Prov. 9:1-6]

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Second Reading...

"Brothers and sisters, be careful how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making music to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." [Ephes. 5:15-20]

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Gospel Reading...

"Jesus said to the people, 'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.'

The people then disputed among themselves saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'

So Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.

Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever." [Jn. 6:51-8]

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