22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eccles 3:17-20, 28-29 Heb 12:18-19, 22-24 Luke 14:1, 7-14
“Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of a leading Pharisee”. Saint Luke in recounting the stories of the Life of Jesus can’t get away from food, banquets, meals and eating and drinking!!!
We have become used to hearing of ‘working breakfasts’ and ‘State banquets’ for visiting dignitaries and so it is not unusual to associate doing business while eating and drinking. There is something to be said for mixing the two! People are usually somewhat relaxed when having an enjoyable meal and so perhaps more receptive to ideas and plans. We wonder was this in the mind of Jesus when He shared food with his friends and, sometimes, with his enemies.
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus could be directing his words to those of his disciples who were present, but more likely, his words are meant for those who ‘watched him closely’. Jesus takes this opportunity to teach two important lessons; one of them is on humility (a subject difficult to find experts on!) and the other might cause us a little uneasiness – our motivation for being nice to people!
When the Lord speaks about humility He is not trying to run us down or suggest that we have nothing to boast about, but He does wish to scold those who think that they are paragons of virtue and expect to be treated better than others. For sure, humility is not pride, nor is it pretence. It should not prevent us from taking legitimate delight in our achievements. If we do something well, we are entitled to be pleased about it. The word ‘humility’ comes from the Latin word ‘humus’ meaning ‘ground’ or ‘earth’. So the humble person is down to earth, realistic, has no airs or graces, has things in perspective. It’s all about ‘having your feet on the ground’ rather than ‘having your nose in the air’!
In the second part of the teaching of Jesus, I think that He is speaking a little ‘tongue in cheek’ and with a bit of humour. After all, what sort of party would it be without family, friends and relations? Jesus is not aiming at being a kill-joy. What He is emphasising is that when we are enjoying ourselves and celebrating we must be mindful of those less fortunate than we are. We should not be good only to those who will be good to us in return.
Our first Reading today puts the message in very clear terms. “My child, be gentle in carrying out your business and you will be better loved than a lavish giver”. For all of us it is important to recognise that anything we have has been given by God. So, there is no room for boasting – except, as St Paul says ‘to boast in the Lord’.
Humility works in two ways. We should be prepared to recognise that talents and gifts have been given to us by God. So, in praising and acknowledging the existence of these gifts and talents, we are indeed praising God.