Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time [B], August 20, 2006

 

Readings
Proverbs 9:1-6
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58

Calendar
August 22: Lailat al-Miraj (For Muslims, the Ascension of the Prophet)
August 23: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
(www.unesco.org/culture/dialogue/slave/html_eng/day.shtml)
August 25: Month of Elul begins (For Jews, a time of repentance in preparation for the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)
August 26: Women's Equality Day (commemorates the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote)

Quotes
The Church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. It offers moral principles and coherent values that are badly needed in our time. In this time of widespread violence and diminished respect for human life and dignity in our country and around the world, the Gospel of life and the biblical call to justice need to be proclaimed and shared with new clarity, urgency, and energy.
U.S. Catholic Bishops, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions

Catholic social teaching is built on a commitment to the poor. This commitment arises from our experiences of Christ in the Eucharist. . . We are called to reach out and to build relationships of love and justice. . . Our commitment to the Catholic social mission must be rooted in and strengthened by our spiritual lives. In our relationship with God we experience the conversion of heart that is necessary to truly love one another as God has loved us.
U.S. Catholic Bishops, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions

Thoughts for Your Consideration
Proverbs uses wisdom language to talk about God. The U.S. Bishops remind us that "the Church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society." As we celebrate the wisdom that comes from God, we will not want to forget the communal and social parts of this wisdom and strive to put that wisdom into action.

In today's gospel, some in the community miss what Jesus is getting at and end up quarreling about the literal meaning of the words. Thus they miss the major transforming message of Jesus. Sometimes religious people can miss the most important things. Jesus is about nourishing people with a new spirit and giving us all something new, transformative, and powerful. The wisdom of Jesus is not an esoteric religious message, but one with a powerful social meaning to heal and transform our world with all of its problems and issues. Jesus offers the wisdom and grace to do this.

We must keep this in mind as we listen to Paul's words to the Ephesians: "Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity." Now is the time to connect our faith to the world. Now is the time to live out the call to nonviolence, justice, and care for one another. (This certainly has something to say to us as we address the violence and war that is going on in the world.)

Questions for Reflection in your Faith Sharing Group
As you reflect on your religious faith and experience, what Christian wisdom do you feel speaks most powerfully to our world situation especially to the violence in the Middle East and other troubled parts of the world?

Actions - Links
Next Saturday, August 26, is Women's Equality Day (www.nwhp.org/events/equality-day/history-of.html) commemorating the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote. For information go to

Labor Day in the U.S. is a few weeks away. Interfaith Worker Justice (http://www.iwj.org/outreach/labor_day_planning.html) encourages congregations to focus on worker justice issues on or around Labor Day and to support the struggles of low-wage workers. The Workers' Rights section of the Education for Justice website (www.educationforjustice.org/bin/view.fpl/1422/article/2771/justiceCats/354/sub_mode/search.html) also offers a variety of resources for this day.

Prayers of Intercession

Response: Sophia, Wisdom, listen to us in our need.

God, help us to overcome all injustice and violence with the creative loving spirit of Jesus Christ.

God, help us to bring an end to this era of terrorism and violence that so violates the spirit of Jesus Christ.

God, help us to understand and respect all our brothers and sisters, especially our Muslim and Jewish neighbors as they celebrate their religious holidays.

God, help us to value individuals and work to end torture and the trafficking in human beings.

God, let us live "not as foolish persons, but as wise" empowered by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Prayers & Meditations

O persistent God,
let how much it all matters
pry me off dead center
so if I am moved inside
to tears
or sighs
or screams
or smiles
or dreams,
they will be real
and I will be in touch with who I am
and who you are
and who my sisters and brothers are.

by Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace

* * *

If you want to connect with Jesus as the "living bread," you might find these prayers useful:

A prayer for spiritual nourishment from Joyce Rupp can be found at:
http://joycerupp.com/freshbread.html

A Litany of Generosity from Joyce Rupp can be found at:
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/excerpts.php?id=15815