TWENTIETH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Prv 9:1-6/ Ps 34/ Eph 5: 15-20/ Jn 6: 5-58
When
expectations and reality do not meet, we murmur. For example, the whole nation
murmured when we all the while thought that Pacquiao would win the fighting
match but in reality it was Mayweather who earned the belt. In our family life,
we murmur when our dreams for our children became real nightmares. Kahit sa love life, nakakasakit isipin kung
naniniwala ka na may forever subalit in reality may forever na siyang iba…Ouch!
When expectations and reality do not meet, we murmur.
This is
what happened in our Gospel today. The expected Messiah of the Jews did not
coincide with the reality of Jesus’ proclamation that he is the “living bread
that came down from heaven; and whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
Such claim was a blasphemy for the Jews. “How can this man give us flesh to
eat?” They knew who Jesus was. They knew his parents and relatives. Their
expectation did not match with Jesus’ reality. And so, they murmured, they
quarreled among themselves.
What
happened to the Jews can also happen to us. We pray a lot of novenas and
practice numerous devotions because we are expecting for healing, peace,
health, and safety. We never miss our Sunday Masses because we expect for
blessings of health and wealth for our families. We are expecting of a 24/7 Generous God. However, sometimes our
expectations fail. Despite the number of novenas and Masses, we continue to
carry the heavy weight of our problems. The claim of Jesus in our Gospel today,
“for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh
and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” is not real for us. Sometimes
we ask ourselves, “I have been receiving the Lord in the Eucharist all my life,
yet, why cannot I experience him remaining in me? I still have a lot of
problems and I feel alone.” When these two do not meet – our hopeful
expectation from God and reality, then, we murmur.
However,
our responsorial psalm today continues to invite us “to taste and see the
goodness of the Lord.” Despite the failed expectations, we are all reminded
that God continues to be good. God continues to offer to us the Living Bread
that sustains our pilgrimage here on earth. We can only have this perspective
in life – the goodness of God over our expectations – if we have the gift of
wisdom which is mentioned in our first reading today. We need to have this
wisdom because St. Paul in our second reading today tells us that the “days are
evil” therefore we must “watch carefully how you0live, not as foolish persons
but as wise, making the most of the opportunity.”
Our Catechism
teaches that wisdom which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit makes “man
docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.”
As we
celebrate today the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, let us ask for
wisdom and act as wise men and women. Because only when we have this gift of
wisdom can we stop murmuring and be able to taste and see the goodness of God.
Yes, our expectations from God and reality will continue to fall short.
However, if we have wisdom, then, we remain open to the Holy Spirit. And such
open disposition can allow God to teach us more and to love us more even amidst
the pain and suffering. All we need to do is to trust in his divine Wisdom.
After
20 yrs. of marriage, the wife asked her husband to describe her. Her husband
looked at her slowly and said
“ABCDEFGHIJK.”
Wife:
“What does that mean?”
Husband:
“Adorable, beautiful, cute, delightful, elegant, fashionable, gorgeous, and
hot.”
She
smiled happily and then asked
Wife:
“Aw, thank you, but what about IJK?”
Husband:
“I’m just kidding!”
And the
wife left the room with a broken heart.
We all
expect of a God who is good, loving, caring, generous, merciful, and compassionate.
However, our sad experiences points to a different God who is out there,
distant, insensitive, and far. And so we end up brokenhearted. However, let us
ask for God’s Wisdom so that despite the difficulty, we can still taste and see
the goodness of God.
And so
we pray, “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage
to change the things I can, and WISDOM to know the difference. Amen.”
Photo taken from www.thenew-renaissanceman.com
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