Cycle C - Year II:  

28 August 2022: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Second Reading:   Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24

Gospel:  Please Read  Luke 14:1, 7-14 

Conduct ourselves with humility!

The Church warns us against the temptation of wealth and power. Because they can give a person the illusion of greatness and immortality, and thus give a false sense of importance and personal worth. The truth is that wealth and power cannot buy us a ticket to eternal life.

It is timely that in this Sunday's Gospel our Lord reminds us again to be authentic Christian witnesses for the Lord's kingdom in our every day life situations.

 

St. Luke narrates an incident where Jesus accepts and invitation from a Pharisee to come and dine in his house.  While there, Jesus observes how other guests scramble for choice seats of honor at the dining table.

Since our Lord is a great and practical teacher, He was always looking for ways to preach to followers. Occasionally, He would masterfully craft a story to explain the Good News. At other times, Jesus would take a real life event and use it as a powerful teaching moment. Still on other occasions, Jesus would use a combination of these two modes of preaching. The Gospel passage this Sunday is an example of this last method of preaching.

So Jesus seizes the gathering at the house of His host to teach His followers, not with proper table manners, but with our inner disposition before the "table of the Lord".

In the Lord's table, there is no place for self-righteousness nor for human desire for honor and recognition. Rather,  in the Lord's feast there are places only for humility, joy, and thanksgiving for the blessings we have been invited to share.

Jesus teaches that humility is the foundation of all other virtues for Christians. Now, true humility is not having a low opinion of yourself, or thinking of yourself as inferior to others. But a humble person makes a realistic assessment of himself or herself without illusion of pretense to be someone or something he or she is not. That is why a humble person does not have to wear mask or put on a facade in order to look good to others who may not know who the person really is. A humble person is not swayed by accidentals, such as fame, reputation, or success.

Humility frees us to love and serve others selflessly, for their sake, rather than our own need for recognition. It allows us to see ourselves as blessed, so that we can share with others the bountiful blessings we also received from the Lord. 

More importantly, humility invites us to be honest about our faults, weaknesses and sins. It keeps us on our knees, praying for God's strength, mercy and assistance.  Also, humility encourages us to be honest about our gifts and talents as well, and encourages us to discover them, cultivate them, and put them to good use for the greater glory of God through Christian charity and love. 

So that when we happily use our God-given talents in serving others, we acknowledge that God is the true source of all goodness that we receive. Then we realize that in the eyes of the Lord we are all equal. 

Jesus encourages us to be content with what seems to be lowly and least. Often it is the small and seemingly insignificant gifts of everyday life where we may experience the greatest joy, peace, and contentment. 

May we have the grace and strength to humble ourselves before the banquet of the Lord, so that one day the Lord Himself will also exalt us. Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!