“See, where Wisdom has built herself a house, carved out for herself those seven pillars of hers! And now, her sacrificial victims slain, her wine mingled, her banquet spread, this way and that her maidens are dispatched, to city keep and city wall, bidding her guests make haste. ‘Simple hearts,’ she says, ‘draw near me;’ and to all that lack learning this is her cry, ‘Come and eat at my table, come and drink of the wine I have brewed for you; say farewell to your childishness, and learn to live; follow all of you in the path that leads to discernment.'”
Book of Proverbs, 9: 1-6 [link]
We’re still working our way through the Holy Communion chapter of the Gospel of S. John in our gospel readings. You have heard for yourselves how many times the Holy One said in the course of this gospel story, I AM the bread of life, eat Me, I AM the bread of life, eat Me, I AM the bread of life, you must eat me if you want to live eternally… if He must repeat Himself to make His point, so shall we.
So, then, the Church has taught us that we are Temples of the Holy Spirit. Many of us were taught that as seven-year-olds, preparing for Confession and FHC. Now, what’s the first line of the first reading today? ‘Wisdom has prepared herself a house, erected her seven pillars, laid her table for the feast, invited visitors, saying, Come to the feast, leave folly (childishness) and sin, acquire true understanding.’ Seven pillars? Another thing Holy Church has taught us is that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Let’s list them from the Catechism: (i) Wisdom!, (ii) Understanding!, (iii) and this follows from the first two, Counsel, for we can give counsel to others and receive it from them only according to the wisdom and understanding we have acquired. (iv) Fortitude. If we have acquired wisdom, it is because we have judged it valuable to do so; and something that precious we shall have the fortitude to secure and defend. (v) Knowledge, for true knowledge is acquired at the feet of divine Wisdom, whence we learn about the world from the point of view of its Creator. (vi) Piety, which is an adherence to the traditions of the people and, in our case, the teaching of Holy Church concerning faith, morals and divine worship; we acquire this while seated continually at the feet of the Holy One, in prayer and devotion. And the seventh gift of the Holy Spirit is (vii) the Fear of the Lord – not a fear, that is, that we have of those who can and will destroy us, but the pious fear of a child for their parent, a fear of falling away from the parent and losing their protection, a fear full of trust, a loving fear, a fear that is rewarded with a glimpse at the Sacred Heart, Who declares that He has loved us from all eternity.
So, we are walking Temples of God, and we must carefully support our walls with these seven strong pillars, and the Holy One living within our hearts will find in us His especial delight. Let us clean out the Temple frequently with the devotion of our lives; S. Paul suggests again the second reading… live your lives in an intelligent manner, a rational manner.
“See then, brethren, how carefully you have to tread, not as fools, but as wise men do, hoarding the opportunity that is given you, in evil times like these. No, you cannot afford to be reckless; you must grasp what the Lord’s will is for you. Do not besot yourselves with wine; that leads to ruin. Let your contentment be in the Holy Spirit; your tongues unloosed in psalms and hymns and spiritual music, as you sing and give praise to the Lord in your hearts. Give thanks continually to God, Who is our Father, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
Letter of S. Paul to the Ephesians, 5: 15-20 [link]
The Apostle is speaking of the Church living through evil times in the middle of the first century (his own experience), but a quick look at our 2000-year history will show us that the Church always lives through evil times, and despite even the wickedness and profligacy of her very shepherds she survives. Paul says that in wicked days, we should discern carefully what the will of God is. We should know not to fall into hopeless addictions, and seek to improve ourselves daily; and we should be a strong community of prayer – he says that we should be singing psalms and hymns together (even without the organ, he would probably add), and afterwards continue the singing in our hearts. He wants us to be a liturgical people, so that the hymns we sing together on a Sunday, or whenever else we come together for Mass, continue to resound in our hearts for the rest of the week.
But let’s come back to Divine Wisdom and her many living Temples, and her feast which she holds within them…
“‘I Myself am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live for ever. And now, what is this Bread which I am to give? It is My flesh, given for the life of the world.’ Then the Jews fell to disputing with one another, ‘How can this man give us His flesh to eat?’ Whereupon Jesus said to them, ‘Believe Me when I tell you this; you can have no life in yourselves, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood. The man who eats My flesh and drinks My blood enjoys eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. My flesh is real food, My blood is real drink. He who eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, lives continually in Me, and I in him. As I live because of the Father, the living Father Who has sent Me, so he who eats Me will live, in his turn, because of Me.'”
Gospel of S. John, 6: 51-58 [link]
Here’s the Holy One in the gospel reading saying that Holy Communion is the condition of gaining eternal life with God. And those good Jews about Him sneered at Him and said, How is He going to give us Himself to eat? They have a natural horror of cannibalism, and they don’t yet have the theology of the Eucharist. And yet, even today, there are Christians who look pityingly at us and at our Blessed Sacrament and sneer similarly: Is that what you Catholics think?
And He stands there and says, ‘the eternal life of My Father flows through Me, and you will eat Me if you wish to have it. For I AM the Way and the Life, and nobody comes to the Father except through Me.’
Catholic Louth and Mablethorpe 