1. If grey or SILVER hair is a sign of Wisdom…many of us then are to be considered very wise. For WISDOM is the practical knowledge we gain mostly as the fruit of years of OBSERVATION and EXPERIENCE.
We seek wisdom in life, not for it self, but because it can help us succeed at what ever we are trying to do: work, sports, music, etc. Therefore WISDOM tells us to go to school to gain knowledge. And then wise know they must practice to gain the expertise to succeed.
There is also a spiritual side to life and we want to succeed here too. If we want to gain the Knowledge that helps us to know God and put order in our lives and in the world, the WISE know, it is good to study and practice our faith. It’s in the Wisdom of the Church, that today she helps us to GAIN knowledge and offers to us the opportunity to avail ourselves of the SUREST way to succeed spiritually in life.
2. The first reading is from the book called Proverbs. It is a collection of WISE sayings and precepts to help govern the daily lives of those who want KNOWLEDGE and LOVE God.
In the verses taken from this book today, WISDOM is described as a person—or a great lady who has BUILT herself a beautiful MANSION. She then PREPARES a noble FEAST and SENDS out her handmaidens to call the “simple,” that is, the non-prejudiced, the youth of the town, and those who are still ignorant or innocent, to come and partake of her feast, namely: to learn wisdom from her. Bread and Wine, the ESSENCE of a meal, is SERVED as part of this WISDOM FEAST. Those invited to this feast, have an opportunity to LEAVE ignorance behind and to move forward LIVING in knowledge of God.
The Knowledge they would get from this meal, would be the necessity of keeping the Law of Moses. And the best they could expect in return was prosperity, a large family and long life in this world. Not all that unwise in OT thinking, but in terms of the fullness of Wisdom, it lacked knowledge of thee ‘After Life’. By PERSONIFYING wisdom, the author, was most likely foreshadowing the coming of God’s Son on earth to teach men the way of salvation, that would lead to heaven.
3. The importance of this weeks scripture plays off the ‘Essence of Bread and Wine’ at that Wisdom meal in Proverbs. In the Gospel today Jesus spoke openly, after his great miracle Feast of feeding 5000 with 5 loaves of Bread. He spoke about an even greater miracle that He is going to work. He had showed them that in feeding the 5000, they can TRUST God to take care of their daily lives. Now He promises in a New Wisdom Feast, to give his own body and blood to men, through His Passion and Death, to be a supernatural food. And He does that in the Last Supper, as he blessed the Bread as His Body and the Wine as His Blood. Real Food in which we TRUST God will sustain our spiritual lives as well.
To that Multitude at Capernaum, Jesus who is WISDOM, because he ‘Experienced’ Heaven and “Seen’’ the Father, and has now come down, taught the necessity of an unquestioning faith in him. And unless we are INVITED to His Wisdom Feast we will not gain the Knowledge; (1) that tells us Jesus came from God; (2) that Jesus is in fact God; or (3) that as man Jesus can give his body to be food. We will only be OFFENDED as we ponder the literal, “How could this man, give us His flesh to eat?”
For Jesus emphatically and in explicit detail says: (1) “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood, abide in me and I in them”; (2) that we have “have eternal life”; and (3) that He “will raise them up on the last day.” To know the meaning of these words is understanding and to appreciate them is Wisdom. And to gain their promise, we must partake in His WISDOM FEAST.
5. Grey hair might be a sign of Temporal Wisdom, but when it comes to the Spiritual, the great sign of our wisdom is that we come here every Sunday, standing in line, receiving the Bread and Wine of this Wisdom Feast. The more we experience union with God in word and sacrament, the more we desire a deeper in union with God, and the more Catholic Religion and the Teachings of Christ, become a way of life for us.
All wisdom is meant to be shared…but it’s EXREMELY Important that Spiritual Wisdom is shared. And where our Wisdom takes those invited to learn its TRUTH is very important. The Catholic church is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ. If we return to our pews and never feel the URGE to share our faith…we are not listening to God’s Word. Faith is meant to be shared.
The Catholic Church has its Faith formation program called RCIA that begins in September. It’s the process where those invited take a Deep – Hard look at their life and church life, from a temporal and spiritual perspective. Wisdom is handed down generationally. I feel sad for those who get pushed aside because someone is to afraid to share their faith. It is a wonderful gift to be apart of someone’s journey to the WISDOM FEAST.
6. Was there any Wisdom in this Homily for you?
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