SUNDAY HOMILY FOR 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B

SUNDAY HOMILY FOR 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B

HOMILY THEME: SEEK WISDOM AND FORSAKE FOOLISHNESS

BY: Rev. Sylvanus Amobi

Proverbs 9: 1-6, Ps. 34, Ephesians 5: 15-20, John 6: 51-58

Wisdom is a gift of God. It is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. A person with wisdom is called a wise person, and one without wisdom is said to be foolish. God is seen in the scripture as WISDOM, and to possess wisdom means to have God in you. Wisdom is different from intelligence and brilliance, although people erroneously use them interchangeably as synonyms. The difference explains why a person can be intelligent and brilliant while still making unwise and foolish decisions and choices.

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The first reading from the book of Proverbs (Prov. 9:1-6) advises us to seek wisdom and forsake foolishness that we might live. The writer of the Book of Proverbs also advises us to “advance in the way of understanding” through the acquisition of wisdom. Thus, with wisdom and understanding, better choices are made in life. Paul echoed this in the second reading, in his letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 5:15-20). He asked us not to live as foolish persons but as wise, not to continue in ignorance, but to try to understand the will of the Lord. Only a person of wisdom, a wise person, can know the will of the Lord, which can guarantee life.

COMMUNING WITH JESUS CHRIST, THE BREAD OF LIFE

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus Christ reiterated to the crowds gathered to listen to Him that He is the living bread that came down from heaven and that whoever eats Him will live forever. The teaching was hard for the Jews of Christ’s time to accept. They quarreled among themselves and challenged what they would term Christ’s audacity for daring to talk to them in that manner. They questioned, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” Of course, it caused some of His disciples to quit and stop following Him.

One would have expected Jesus Christ to soft-pedal due to the negative reactions he got and, at least, to win back the disagreeable disciples. However, the negative attitudes and the quitting of His disciples were immaterial to His teaching of Him being the bread of life. The nonacceptance of the message by some of His disciples did not deter Him or make Him soft-pedal on His teaching. Instead, He doubled down and stated unequivocally the importance of eating His flesh and drinking His blood thus, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” Upon this teaching, the Church continues to remind us of the importance of communing with Jesus Christ as our bread of life in the Eucharistic meal.

The will of God for us Christians is to share eternal life with Christ in the Kingdom of God. The will of God for us Christians is to have life in Jesus Christ. Thus, if we accept Jesus Christ as the living bread that came down from heaven, if we eat Him as the bread of life, if we remain in Him and He remains in us, we are guaranteed eternal life. A wise choice is to commune with Jesus Christ and eat Him as the bread of life. Let us pray for the wisdom to make this choice, which is the will of God for us.

Always remember that Jesus loves you!

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