Seat of Wisdom
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Is he advocating cannibalism?
Jesus doubles down – oh.. Unless you gnaw (and that’s the word he uses) the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
We hear this talk of eating his flesh and blood, and it makes us cringe a little bit. It sounds… weird, even when we understand it. Why did he put it so… intensely?
Because God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, but God understands us intimately.
Because we should approach the Eucharist like a dog gets on a bone, or a teenager attacks dinner. We don’t just daintily snack… we gnaw. We don’t just sip, we drink deeply.
God is calling us to a kind of passion that can only be compared to a ravenous hunger that, when satisfied, does not leave us guilty and nauseated and swearing we will never eat again, but full of life and joy.
This Jesus, this Eucharist, is the food and drink that Wisdom prepares.
In other places, indeed even just a few verses later in 9th chapter of Proverbs, Solomon describes a woman who lacks virtue, and calls out to passerbys, tempting them. She sends out her “ladies” to lure victims into dark alleys, and to rob them of their spiritual and physical wealth and well-being. They offer stolen pleasures and a path to Sheol. There are plenty of temptations in the world, plenty of things that are foolish on the path to destruction.
But Mary, seat of Wisdom, a lady of unsurpassed virtue, has prepared a feast for us. Her maidens call out to offer a feast freely to any who will receive him. She also calls out to the foolish, but her call is to come and receive life and wisdom to advance in the way of understanding. She does not call the foolish in order to take advantage of them, but for their own good.
Wisdom has set up her seven columns – the ancients imagined the world itself as set upon seven columns. Perhaps this is even a hint of our lady, seat of Wisdom, who is made Queen of heaven and earth.
But, certainly, Saint James helps us understand those seven pillars: the wisdom from above is
- first of all pure,
- then peaceable,
- Gentle,
- Compliant,
- full of mercy
- and good fruits,
- without inconstancy or insincerity.
These describe Jesus, of course. Jesus who is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, obedient, merciful, fruitful, and consistently sincere.
Will we feast on the Eucharist? Yes, in the species of bread and wine, but will we gnaw on him, and wrestle with what it means to receive and live that wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, obedient, full of mercy, fruitful, and consistently sincere? Because this is what it means to have eternal life. Not just everlasting life, but also a heavenly life that is eternal in nature, that is God-like in character.
Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
