Reading I
Sir 3:17-18,
20, 28-29
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.
What is too sublime for you, seek not,
into things beyond your strength search not.
The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.
Responsorial
Psalm
Ps 68:4-5,
6-7, 10-11
R. (cf. 11b) God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
The just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
Reading II
Heb
12:18-19, 22-24a
Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
and storm and a trumpet blast
and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.
Gospel
Lk 14:1, 7-14
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
'Give your place to this man,'
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
'My friend, move up to a higher position.'
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Then he said to the host who invited him,
"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Today’s First Reading speaks of humility, a topic that is also addressed in Proverbs (11:2; 15:33; 18:12; 22:4) and in the Qumran Manual of the Disciple. It is the high and mighty who have need of humility and not the lowly and weak. The author warns the reader against the danger of intellectual pride.
In the Second
Reading, the writer exhorts his readers to watch over one another and thus
avoid the danger of apostasy. A contrast is made between the first covenant made
with
Today’s Gospel begins the wisdom teachings of Jesus. The Greek word used to describe the elect keklēmenoi actually means “the elect” or “those who think themselves elect”. Luke uses non theological terms to express a theological truth: everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, means that God cannot be fooled by those who promote themselves as an “elect”. Luke wants his community to understand that despite their differences in culture, language, or social status they hold greater things in common, and must come to each other’s aid in time of need even if there is not repayment. Greco-Roman and Jewish society normally rejected the poor, maimed, lame, and blind and these are precisely the people that Jesus says must be invited to the banquet. Jesus’ parable is an invitation for everyone.
Leo Tolstoy wrote of a pious and humble shoemaker who had a vivid dream that the Lord would visit him for dinner. When the shoemaker awoke from the dream he immediately began preparations to receive the Lord; he made sure everything was picked-up and clean; he started a fire to keep warm and to boil water for tea; he made his cabbage soup. All morning long he could just but look out his window waiting for the Lord to arrive. He noticed that the man shoveling the snow off the sidewalk was tired and cold and invited him in so he could warm himself by the fire. The shoemaker quickly made some hot tea and shared the moment with the man. The grateful man soon left and the shoemaker once again waited by his window. Later that day, the shoemaker noticed a young mother in ragged clothing trying to warm her baby. The shoemaker invited her into his home where he quickly served her some of his cabbage soup and hot tea. As the young woman warmed herself and ate, the shoemaker cared for her small child. He gave the young mother a new pair of shoes and the grateful woman went on her way. Later that evening, the shoemaker noticed a frail old woman carrying a sack full of apples. As she lay the sack down for a moment to rest a young boy ran by and stole one of the apples. The old woman took hold of the boy and called for the police. The shoemaker ran out of his home and asked the old woman to forgive the boy and offered to pay for the apple. The boy tearfully asked the old woman for forgiveness and both went on their way with the young boy now carrying the old woman’s apple sack on his back. Later that night, as the shoemaker lay in his bed he heard a voice call out to him from the corner of his room. When he looked up he saw the man who had shoveled the snow. The voice called to him again and this time it was the young mother carrying her child. A third time the voice called to him and when he looked he saw the old woman and the young boy. Then burying himself into his Bible he read “whatsoever you do for one of these little ones, you did for me”.
Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel challenges us to live
as the pious old shoemaker lived. He opened his heart to anyone that was in need
without thinking about repayment. We must learn to love everyone and give
ourselves entirely for the sake of others – not because they can repay us; not
because they will love us back; not because there is anything in it for me –
but because in doing so we serve God who lives in them. We live in a world where
people’s worth is measured by their wealth, success, power, influence they
have on others or by their beauty. When we run into people who do not possess
these things we normally tend to look at them differently and exclude them
because they do not measure up to a particular standard we have created in our
minds. According to society, we have nothing to gain from the poor, the sick,
the ugly, the lame, or the powerless. This same attitude keeps many away from
the banquet that the Lord has prepared for us and which we celebrate at Mass. We
don’t want to be grouped into the same category as “all those who need to go
to Mass” because we’re better than they are.
”We” have a job; “We” are not ill; “We” are not powerless or living
in poverty; “We” in effect have no need for God. “We” have nothing to
gain by going to Church. Well, Jesus tells us that this type of attitude is
contrary to the kingdom he proclaims.
New American Bible; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Skehan, P. W. and A. A. DiLella, “The Wisdom of Ben Sira”; Attridge, H. W., “Hebrews”; Bruce, F. F., “The Epistle to the Hebrews”; Fitzmyer, J. A., “TheGospel According to Luke”; LaVerdiere, E., “Luke”; Maddox, R., “The Purpose of Luke-Acts”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary".
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa