Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a; Lk 14:1, 7-14 Most Rev. Paul-Émile
Léger served as from 1950 to 1968, and was elevated to the in 1953 by . He was
one of the most powerful men in Canada and within the Catholic Church. He was a man
of deep conviction and humility. Then on April 20, 1968 he resigned his office and
leaving his red vestments, crosier, miter, and pallium in his Montreal office, disappeared.
Years later, he was found living among the lepers and disabled, outcasts of a small
African village. When a Canadian journalist asked him, "Why? " here is what Cardinal
Léger had to say, "It will be the great scandal of the history of our century that
600 million people are eating well and living luxuriously and three billion people
starve, and every year millions of children are dying of hunger. I am too old to change
all that. The only thing I can do which makes sense is to be present. I must simply
be in the midst of them. So, just tell people in Canada that you met an old priest.
I am a priest who is happy to be old and still a priest and among those who suffer.
I am happy to be here and to take them into my heart." Is that your calling? Is it
mine? Probably not. Today’s gospel says: “Although they cannot repay you, you will
be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." 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 marginalized of society.
For Jesus, the daily human needs of the poor are the personal responsibility of every
authentic, humble believer. The first reading, from the book of Sirach, reminds us
that if we are humble, we will find favor with God, and others will love us. The second
reading, from Hebrews, gives another reason for us to be humble. Jesus was humble,
so his followers are expected to be humble, trying to imitate his humility. 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 (see Prov. 25:6-7; Sir. 3:17-20). Jesus advises the guests
to go to the lowest place instead of seeking places of honor 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 honor 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. Today’s reading, from Sirach, gives
a lesson in humility. Sirach is a book of moral instruction and wise sayings written
by a devout Jewish sage about 175 years before the time of Jesus. It is part of the
wisdom literature of the Hebrew Scriptures. As a world traveler (34:12-13) and a respected
scribe and teacher, Jesus ben Eleazar ben Sirach, presided as the headmaster of an
academy for young men (57:23-30). Today’s reading represents excerpted portions of
two of ben Sirach’s short essays, the first on humility (3:17-24), the second on docility,
almsgiving and social conduct (3:25-4:10). Like a parent or an elder brother offering
wise counsel, the author recommends that his readers find true greatness in living
humbly. "Conduct your affairs in humility," ben Sirach writes. "The more you humble
yourselves, the greater you are." He instructs us to be honest about ourselves and
to become conscious of our limitations, acknowledging our true position before God
as creatures and sinners. The Letter to the Hebrews was written in the last quarter
of first century AD. Although many of the apostolic eye-witnesses to Jesus had died,
the expected Second Coming of Jesus had not taken place. So the Hebrew Christians
(Judeo-Christians), subjected to hostilities from both Judaism and the Roman Empire,
grew lax in their commitment. Hence, the author of Hebrews asks his readers to choose
either the ways of the former Covenant, symbolized by the fire, storm, darkness, trumpet
blast and the voice, speaking words that they begged not to hear, or the ways of the
new Covenant, mediated by Jesus and celebrated by the angels and the assembly of the
firstborn. St. Paul compares and contrasts the picture of God in the Old Testament
with that found in the New Testament. Instead of the frightening manifestation of
God’s glory in the Old Covenant, the New Testament offers the picture of a loving
and humble God as revealed by Christ. Paul seems to imply that we have to follow Christ’s
example of humility in our relationship with those members of our society less fortunate
than we. We are gathered around "Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled
blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel." Jesus was lowly, particularly
in his suffering and death for our salvation (Heb 2:5-18). If we are humble, like
Jesus and with him, we will be exalted with Him at the resurrection of the righteous. The
reason why Jesus was invited to the dinner party was that he was already a sort of
celebrity, noted for curing the sick. People are always drawn toward celebrities.
But Jesus was not interested in such fame. Without putting on an air of superiority,
he used the occasion to teach a lesson about the Kingdom, presenting humility as the
essential condition for God’s invitation to His heavenly banquet. Humility must be
expressed in the recognition of one’s lowliness before God and one's need for salvation.
Based on his observation of a gross breach of social etiquette at that party, Jesus
taught those Jewish religious teachers what genuine humility was and what the dangers
of pride were. "Go and take the lowest place," Jesus recommends, "so that when the
host comes to you he may say, `My friend, move up to a higher position.'" In other
words, we are always to situate ourselves in such a manner that the only way we can
go is up. When God became man, He chose to occupy the lowest possible seat. Paul
described in Phil. 2:7-8, the six steps in humility that God took in coming to this
earth. "Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even
death on a cross." Humility was Jesus’ favorite theme. "Everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14: 11); "Whoever
humbles himself like a little child is the greatest in the kingdom of God" (Matthew
18: 4); "Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart"(Matthew 11: 29). Humility
is a strange phenomenon. As a rule, when we discover we have it, we lose it. Humility
is like a rare flower -- put it on display, and it instantly wilts and loses its fragrance!
St. Augustine said: "Humility is so necessary for Christian perfection that among
all the ways to reach perfection, humility is first, humility is second, and humility
is third." He added, "Humility makes men angels, and pride makes angels devils." St.
Bernard declared, "Pride sends man from the highest elevation to the lowest abyss,
but humility raises him from the lowest abyss to the highest elevation." Here
is a portion of one of Mother Teresa’s exhortations to her novices: "If I try to make
myself as small as I can, I'll never become humble. It is humility with a hook. True
humility is truth. Humility comes when I stand as tall as I can, and look at all of
my strengths, and the reality about me, but put myself alongside Jesus Christ. And
it's there, when I humble myself before Him, and realize the truth of who he is, when
I accept God's estimate of myself, stop being fooled about myself and impressed with
myself, that I begin to learn humility. The higher I am in grace, the lower I should
be in my own estimation because I am comparing myself with the Lord God." Thus humility
is an attempt to see ourselves as God sees us. It is also the acknowledgement that
our talents come from God who has seen it fit to work through us. Baron Rothschild
once, when asked about seating important guests, said, "Those that matter won’t mind
where they sit, and those who do mind, don’t matter." In today’s gospel story,
Jesus gave his host a lesson in humility. "When you hold a banquet, don't invite friends
or relatives or wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather invite the poor, the cripples, the lame, and the blind, who are unable to repay
you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Thomas Carlyle, the
British historian, put it succinctly, “Show me the man you honor and I will know what
kind of man you are.” The Pharisees were preoccupied with "earning" a high place in
heaven. Jesus counseled them to practice what they preached about God's concern for
the poor, and thereby to gain true merit. In other words, Jesus suggests, “Do something
really different! Invite to your parties the people who have little to bring with
them. The blessing, recognition and benefit you are worried about will come, though
not through the means you expected.” The freedom that comes with knowing we are loved
and sustained by God is a freedom to give generously of our resources, to give the
best place to others without concern for ourselves. Just as Jesus challenged his fellow
guests, so he challenges us. He warns us that those who will be saved will not be
people like the Pharisees. The deeper message of this parable is that if we exalt
ourselves, we are going to face embarrassment before the judgment seat of God, the
Host who has invited us to the banquet of life. Life Message: 1) 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, we are all imperfect and sinners. Nevertheless, we also recognize
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 of value, not 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. 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 agápe 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.
Our place is assured. Let us accept Jesus’ invitation by actively participating in
this Eucharistic celebration. Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and writer, on receiving
Holy Communion, writes that, as he received the Sacrament for the first time, as an
adult, he thought to himself: Heaven was entirely mine ... Christ, hidden in the small
host, was giving himself for me and to me, and with himself the entire Godhead and
Trinity ... Christ was born in me, his new Bethlehem, and sacrificed in me, his new
Calvary, and risen in me ... (God) called out to me from his own immense depths [The
Seven Story Mountain, (New York: Doubleday Image Books), pp. 273-274).] Thomas Merton
sensed the wonder of God's invitation to communion and received it joyfully. So should
we. In the summer of 1986, two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of
Russia. Hundreds of passengers, hurled into the icy waters below, died. News of the
disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident.
It wasn't a technology problem like radar malfunction or even thick fog. The cause
was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship's presence nearby.
Either could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted
to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came
to their senses, it was too late. Many of the ills that afflict our Catholic Church
and our nation at large might be resolved with a big dose of humility for everyone
involved. (Source: Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil)