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One of the things every kid does growing up is to try and outsmart their parents. This might take the form of lying about homework that isn’t exactly completed, procrastinating on chores in the hopes of parental amnesia, or moving food around a plate to give the appearance that unpopular veggies were actually eaten. Why do we do this? Sometimes, we don’t agree with what is being asked of us. Other times, we don’t like the choices we are given, we might just enjoy the feeling of rebelling, or, often, we think we know better than mom and dad and can pull a fast one on them.
This dynamic of trying to “improve on” whatever we are asked to do, is not restricted to our parents. We do it with God as well and sometimes we approach the Lord as if we can manipulate or fool him into doing what we want. I am reminded of an anecdote where a man asked God, “What does a billion dollars mean to you who are all powerful?” “Less than a penny.” God said. Then the man asked God, “And what are a thousand centuries to you?” God answered “Less than a second!!” Thinking he had God backed into a corner, the man said, “if that’s the case, O Lord, give me a penny!!” “Sure,” God replied. “Wait just a minute.” God sees our heart and knows what we are up to!
In our first reading, we hear about God’s Wisdom, personified as a hostess who prepares a lavish meal full of every good thing and invites anyone who is humble, docile, and ready to be taught. In other words, there is a free, all-you-can-eat spiritual buffet waiting for anyone who rejects the notion they know better than God. Through this understanding, not only is the person fed, but they actually find a life and understanding that cannot be taken away. The first reading is pleading with us to resist the tendency we all have to try and do things our way, apart from God, based in pride and self-satisfaction. The author of Proverbs reminds us that true wisdom isn’t outsmarting God, wisdom is living in and with God. Wisdom is being in Christ and surrounded by Christ. Wisdom is eating and drinking from the feast which God has prepared for us.
In his wisdom and care for us, God has provided many different ways to feed our hearts, minds, and souls. Some of our spiritual nourishment comes through the Scriptures, God’s timeless Word that speaks to us in ways both personal and yet also universally true. Other sustenance arrives through the teachings and Traditions of the Church and the Magisterium who applies them to the issues of our time. Finally and most perfectly, we are fed by the Lord himself, every time we receive the Eucharist in Holy Communion. This is the Bread from heaven which will lead to eternal life when received with proper respect and gratitude.
How often do we approach these gifts with humility and docility? With a spirit of openness and simplicity? Not trying to change God’s spiritual food and moral laws to the way we want them but accepting them as God offers, trusting in his wisdom and generosity? Aren’t there times when we react in the way the crowd does when Jesus offers them the treasure of the Eucharist? We rebel, we revise, we disagree, we try to pull a fast one on God?
It is good for us to reflect on our disposition towards all the spiritual food that God offers us. But in particular, we should make sure that we are truly mindful of the treasure we receive in the Eucharist as we near the end of the Bread of life discourse.
This is why the Church gives us five weeks to reflect on the Bread of Life Discourse of St. John’s Gospel. She wants us to come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the gift we routinely receive every time we come to communion. The Church begs us to be humble so God can feed us the way our souls need to be nourished. Even if we don’t fully understand or agree yet!
God is the perfect father, and he knows his children need to eat, and they need to eat well. He provides us with the Body and Blood of His Son, along with His Word and timeless teaching, at each and every Mass so we can grow in his life and love. We need to take the food our Heavenly Father provides us without being picky, prideful, or stubborn. May we receive this gift with gratitude, never taking it for granted, never receiving it unworthily. Let us heed the advice in our psalm today and “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”
