Proverbs 9: 1-h26; Psalm 33(34); Eph 5: 15-20; John 6: 51-58
The Book of Proverbs gives pithy maxims for right living, applying the Law to real life. God’s word is here seen personified as Wisdom, urging us: “Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I have prepared”.
The Psalm urges us to glorify the Lord, grateful that he has rescued us from danger. Therefore we should fear the Lord, “keeping our tongue from evil”.
Paul tells the Ephesians to enjoy food and wine, but they should “not drug” themselves with wine. And after singing Psalms and hymns in community they should “go on singing and chanting to the Lord in their hearts”, so giving thanks to God.
Chapter six of John’s Gospel reaches the climax of Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist. The Gospel’s prologue tells us that “the Word became flesh”: the Wisdom of God took our human flesh to share the trials of this world with us. Jesus gives us his flesh and blood to sustain us on our journey, as he fed Elijah. Jesus insists that physically eating and drinking must be part of the Eucharist so that we take his “Word become flesh” into our very beings. Not surprisingly, some Jews – like us – find it difficult to link together the spiritual and material worlds, as did the Samaritan woman, and Nicodemus.