WE COULD ALWAYS USE MORE LIFE.

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. YEAR B
August 20, 2006.
(First Reading: Proverbs 9:1-6) (Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20)
(Gospel Reading: John 6:51-58)

WE COULD ALWAYS
USE MORE LIFE.

Whether people have little money or no money or too much money, most of them would not hesitate to say: "We could always use more money". Now, does man have the same motivation to say, "we could always use more life?".

Today, the Lord Jesus offers us the opportunity to have more life; he offers us his life, the life he received from God the Father.

People would respond in different ways to the Lord's offer:
1. Some people would say "my best years of life are behind me, how could I ever improve on that?". These do not believe that it is possible to improve one's life. They are satisfied with the past.

2. Others would say "I am already alive, therefore I do not need more life". These are happy with what they are and what they have. They believe that there is no need to change anything.

3. Others would say "my life is painful, plagued with problems, disappointments, misunderstandings, I would like to improve my life". These are opened to changes, improvements.

4. Finally, there are others who lead meaningful lives, but are not happy with keeping their life to themselves and are willing to offer it for the betterment of all human beings as an unconditional gift(1).

Regardless where we are in our life, Jesus' offer of his own life is made to all of us. He longs to give his life to us totally, unconditionally. It is in order to convey the totality of the gift of his life that Jesus says, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" (John 6:53). With the gift of life, the Lord Jesus offers full unity of life between man and God and between all human beings.

Why Does Jesus Want to Give His Life to Us? Because we do not have enough life, because we lack true life.

The first reading (Proverbs), referring to the understanding of the life of God, tells us: "To him who lacks understanding, I say, come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding" (Proverbs 9:4-6).

The Lord Jesus, fully cognizant that we, human beings, now lack true life, tells us: "I am the bread that came down from heaven... Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life" (John 6:58). The Lord Jesus wants to make sure that we fully understand that we can truly possess his life, just as by the action of "eating and "drinking" man nurtures his physical life.

Yes, in this day and age our world is lacking in life. We live in a world which abounds in death, in evil. Saint Paul in the second reading (Ephesians) reminds us: "These are evil days" (Ephesians: 5:16).

"These days are evil" because man's understanding of life has become radically distorted for, in many instances, what is death is taken as if it were life:
- Such is the case of the "life" of those who accumulate exorbitant material possessions at the expense of the "death" of those who are left without even the basic means of subsistence;
- Such is the case of those who "live" and expand themselves by destroying and bringing "death" to the weak;
- Such is the case of those who make a "living" by selling drugs which "kill" the users;
- Such is the case of the speculative stock markets of the world where "making a living" by "making a killing" may not be just a figure of speech.

In the same reading, Saint Paul advises us: "Do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord"( Ephesians 5:17). Paul is actually pointing out to the age long struggle between good and evil: Jesus who wants to give us his life versus the evil one who wants to lead us to death.

It is up to us to grow in the wisdom and understanding of life so that we may be able to take the life of Jesus and reject the death that comes from the evil one.

Today, in a manifestation of our faith and understanding, we can tell the Lord Jesus, "Yes, Jesus, give us more of your life, for we can always use more of your life for ourselves and for the world".
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Footnote.
(1) These four types of responses to the Lord Jesus listed above, correspond respectively to the following four basic approaches to change in our life:
1. The reactionary approach, which opposes all changes, for nothing in the present can be better than the past.
2. The conservative approach, which sees no need for change, for everything is fine in the present.
3. The reformist approach, which aims at changes in the symptoms, not the roots.
4. The revolutionary approach, which aims at radical changes, at the root level.