(Neon Wang: Unsplash)
The Word:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083125.cfm
One day a follower of St. Francis of Assisi, Br.
Mateo, came to him in frustration and asked him: “Why you? Why you?” St.
Francis responded to this Friar and said: “What do you mean?” The brother
answered, “Why does the whole world follow you? Every person wants to see you,
to hear you, and to obey you. You’re not a good-looking man, you’re not of
great learning. you’re not noble, why then does everyone want to follow you?”
On hearing this St. Francis rejoiced greatly in
spirit. He raised his face towards
heaven in prayer. Then he turned to Br. Mateo and said: “Do you want to know
why me? Do you want to know why the whole world follows me? It is because the
most holy Lord intends to do a wonderful work and a merciful Lord has not seen
among men a more detestable and more worthless and more loathsome man than me.”
Br. Mateo was wonderstruck at the humility of St. Francis.
What we learn from this short story is that humility
is not about thinking less of yourself but of thinking of yourself less. The
powerful parable that Jesus tells in the home of a leading Pharisee reveals
that following the Lord and living in this world is not about competing for the
best place or fame or power or glory but more about thinking low to be raised
high.
These readings this Sunday really do challenge our
perception of what is important in this life. It’s about rethinking our place
and seeing ourselves in relationship to God and then our place with each other.
The first reading from Sirach states: “My child,
conduct your affairs with humility and you will be loved more than a giver of
gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor
with God.” (Sir 3: 17-18). That seems crystal clear yet how best to achieve
that without drawing attention to ourselves, going through the motions with no
real inner conviction, or to put aside our natural desire to seek affirmation
or honor is not always easy.
So, as Jesus entered the home of a leading Pharisee
and those of his like-minded movers and shakers who were among the wealthy and
influential, he finds that they observe him. What are they wanting to see from
the Lord? The scripture implies that
this so-called observation was not one of esteem but rather one of suspicion.
Where will Jesus trip up? What will he say or do that will support their
suspicions that although more crowds are following him, his goal is to
challenge their leadership and create even more serious opposition. They
already questioned his teachings.
That being so, Jesus now turns on his hosts and
implies that all this jockeying around for positions of honor among them was
seen by Jesus as a teachable moment.
Where you sat, who you were with and with whom you were seen was not the
way of his teaching, despite it being a cultural norm. What may appear
insulting to his host on the part of our Lord was a call to conversion by his
listeners that Jesus could not pass up. In the end it is not honor from others
we should seek but rather honor from God who will decide the seating placement
at his banquet. Think low, think of yourself less and take the lowest place.
Isn’t this what God himself did in entering this
world? Jesus never lorded his power over others nor coerced anyone to be his
follower. He entered our darkest and deepest root cause of sin. He joined with the lowest, the outcasts, the
unloved and became a living model of humility.
He refused to enter the endless competition for power and prestige. He
truly emptied himself for our sake.
Luke relates this banquet image as the place where
Jesus took center stage in radically changing the cultural and religious
expectation to reveal an important moral lesson about table behavior which
symbolizes our place before God. In this
case it is a lesson about humility in place of viewing oneself as somehow
entitled or privileged to sit “in a place of honor.” Who has a place at our
“table” – our lives?
Favors were based on reciprocity: you do me a favor then I do you a favor, back
and forth. But, if our whole life is focused on honor, attention, surrounding
ourselves only with others who can pay us back, “keeping up with the Jones’s,
“or if our parish life is focused on only one class of parishioners or those
who keep us comfortable, then we have a misguided sense of who belongs at our
table. Yet, in the parable he tells, Jesus turns the priority elsewhere and teaches
about kingdom behavior.
So, it begins with this radical invitation to think
differently and reorient our lives in the direction the Lord shows in order to
gain a place of honor of God’s kingdom In the end we know that humility should
be a part of every disciple’s life. Further, Jesus advises, if we want to seek
favor from anyone, it should at best be from God. This, once again, is a further reminder of
how we must be in this world of ours – how I choose to be Christian and show
Christ Jesus to others around me.
Our Eucharist gatherings can only be authentic as
Jesus intended when we always scoot over and admit there is still room for
more, for any who would like to join with us. To do otherwise, in our attitude
or perception, is to be contrary to a Christian spirit.
------------------------------------------
God of might, giver of every good gift,
put into our hearts the love of your name,
so that, by deepening our sense of reverence,
you may nuture what is good
and, by your watchful care,
keep sare what you have nurtured.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
(Collect for Sunday:
Roman Missal)
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