Readings for August 17

Proverbs 9: 1-6, Eph 5: 15-20, John 6: 51-58

A few months ago I watched the news conference at which the Philadelphia 76ers announced their new head coach.  For some reason what I noticed most was the fact that all the participants had a bottle of water in front of them.  I remember asking myself how much of a sweat would these guys be working up sitting at a news conference? Maybe each of them was sponsored by a water company. Since them it seems that everywhere I look people are carrying water bottles to keep them hydrated.  I have even gotten into the habit of taking sports drinks and nutrition bars on my trips to the drugstore.  I wouldn’t want to suffer a drop in potassium or electrolytes while buying deodorant and toothpaste.    In today’s reading from the Book of Proverbs we read “Let whoever is simple turn in here”. The word “here” refers to wisdom and the Jerome Biblical Commentary defines the simple as “those who are open to all manner of influence and in great danger of being led astray”.  Usually we apply this definition to the young, however if you have ever been to a Jimmy Buffet concert  or heard a grown man say that the songs of Frank Sinatra changed his life you would realize that all of us are open to influence and in danger of being led astray.  Now I believe in good nutrition, drink my 64 ounces of water a day, know a verse of “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and don’t mind a few Sinatra tunes. Yet the scriptures are challenging us to acquire genuine wisdom and the first step in acquiring wisdom is to realize what is really important in our lives. We Americans have a tendency to overdo things to the point that we forget the essentials.  A while back I bought a couple of shirts from a catalogue company.  Now I get their catalogues each month.  They usually go in the trash with the occupant mail; however one of the catalogues had an outdoor theme.  I like to walk so I started looking through it.  By the time I figured out all the essentials I needed for walking it was going to cost me$650.00 to take a walk in the park.  That price didn’t include the special walking stick with a compass in the handle!  Somewhere along the line each of us at some time in our life has lost track of what is essential to living life as a child of God.  We have become spiritually dehydrated and instead of using our energy to pursue spiritual wisdom we continue to chase solutions that can only distance us further from the wisdom of God.  Jesus addresses this issue when he tells the crowds that he is the bread of life and “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life”.  Scripture scholars tell us that when Jesus said this many in the crowd walked away.  They were looking for some sophisticated formula that they could follow.  Jesus was really challenging them to appreciate the simplicity and beauty of their lives.  People tell me that they don’t go to mass as often as they should because mass is boring.  It seems for mass to be special we need laser lights, big bands, Fulton Sheen , good air conditioning and plenty of parking.  In simple reality all we need is the Body and Blood of Christ.  Proverbs calls us to “forsake the foolishness that you may live”.  Jesus tells us “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever”. May each of us realize that although this bread is not stone ground, whole wheat and oven baked it is the only bread that really matters.