1st Reading: Ecclesiasticus 3: 17-20, 28-29
2nd Reading: Hebrews 12: 18 – 19, 22 – 24
Gospel: Luke 14: 1, 7 – 14
“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The common theme of today’s readings is the need for true humility which leads to a generous blessed sharing with the needy. The readings warn us against all forms of pride and self-glorification. They present humility not only as a virtue but also as a means of opening our hearts, our minds, and our hands to the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged, and the marginalised of society. For Jesus, the daily human needs of the poor are the personal responsibility of every authentic, humble believer. In addition, humility is the mother not only of peace, but also of many virtues, like obedience, fear, reverence, patience, modesty, meekness, and gentleness.
The first reading, taken from the book of Sirach, reminds us that if we are humble, we will find favoUr with God, and others will love us.
The second reading, taken from Hebrews, after contrasting the majestic God of the Old Testament with the humble God of the New Testament, gives another reason for us to be humble. Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God humbled Himself, taking on human flesh and living our lives so that he might die to save us. He invites his followers to learn how to live from him because he is “meek and humble of heart. Paul reminds us that Jesus was lowly, particularly in his suffering and death for our salvation (Heb 2:5-18), so we should be like him that we may be exalted with him at the resurrection of the righteous. Paul seems to imply that we have to follow Christ’s example of humility in our relationships with the less fortunate members of our society.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the practical benefits of humility, connecting it with the common wisdom about dining etiquette. Jesus advises the guests to go to the lowest place instead of seeking places of honour so that the host may give them the place they deserve. Jesus’ words concerning the seating of guests at a wedding banquet should prompt us to honour those whom others ignore, because if we are generous and just in our dealings with those in need, we can be confident of the Lord’s blessings. On the other hand, if we act out of pride and selfishness, we can be sure that our efforts will come to nothing. Humility is “not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” (C.S. Lewis). Humility is an attempt to try to see ourselves as God sees us. True humility is recognising that everything good we have, comes from God. A humble person is one who knows one’s gifts and talents and is thankful to God for them. Humility does not imply denying our gifts, or not sharing our talents with others. God made us. We, in turn, are thankful to God for those gifts, and show our thankfulness by using our talents in service to one another. In other words, to be humble is to be ready to accept who we are, especially with our talents, abilities, limitations, and weaknesses. Humility does not mean thinking less of ourselves. It means living as Jesus lived – not for ourselves, but for others. For just as pride is the root of all sins, “humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation and bond of all virtue,” as St. John Chrysostom once remarked. We need to practice humility in personal and social life: Humility is grounded in a psychological awareness that everything I have is a gift from God, and, therefore, I have no reason to boast. I must not use these God-given gifts to elevate myself above others. Hence, humility means the proper understanding of our own worth. It requires us neither to overestimate nor to underestimate our worth. The humility that the Gospel urges upon us has nothing to do with a self-deprecation that leaves a person without proper self-esteem. We must simply admit the truth about ourselves: we do not know everything, we do not do everything correctly, and we are all imperfect sinners. Nevertheless, we also recognise that we are made in the image and likeness of God and that we are called to help build the kingdom of God with our God-given gifts. We are not of value because of those gifts but because we are loved by God as His children, redeemed by the precious blood of His son Jesus. The quality of humility that Jesus is talking about has a sociological dimension too. For Jesus is inviting us to associate with the so-called “lower classes” of society — even the outcasts. 1) Jesus invites us to change our social patterns in such a way that we connect with the homeless, the handicapped, the elderly, and the impoverished — the “street people” of the world with love. 2) We need to remember that we are the invited guests: We celebrate that coming Banquet Feast in Heaven every time we come together for Our Lord’s Supper in Holy Mass. We are the (spiritually) poor, crippled, lame, and blind that Christ calls to himself. We are poor in need of the Lord’s true riches, crippled in need of the Lord’s help to straighten ourselves out, lame in need of the Lord’s grace to walk by Faith, and blind in need of the light of Faith to see things clearly. Our place is assured. Let us accept Jesus’ invitation by actively participating in this Eucharistic celebration. We need to become the guests of God and the hosts of everyone else: As God’s guests in this world, we should act humbly and remember that we are always in the presence of Someone greater than we are. As hosts of God’s people, we should offer hospitality to those who cannot reward us. Surely, we do not have to leave out our friends and families. But neither should we leave out the poor and disabled. We are asked to look upon ourselves as having received everything we are and have, from its true source, God, and to acknowledge Him as the giver of all blessings. We should choose the lowest place and never think of ourselves as better than anyone else, for all we are is due to God’s grace. This is the way to form our hearts in humble gratitude and to live with that peace of heart that only true Christian humility can bring us.