DAILY GOSPEL AND REFLECTION, SEPT. 01, 2013 ( MON.) Luke 14:1, 7-14 Jesus at a Pharisee’s House 14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. 5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6 And they had nothing to say. 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Reflection: Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find mercy in the sight of God. (Sirach 3:18) Pride is like uncooked spaghetti. It’s brittle, easily offended. It’s inedible and won’t even fit in the pot until it begins to soften. Only after it absorbs the hot water of “suffering” can it be twirled around a fork as nourishing food. So what are some ways that we can counteract that brittle pride? How can we best follow Sirach’s advice and humble ourselves? First, it’s helpful to see that we often have a false notion of humility. It’s not unusual to think that a humble person is someone with a low opinion of himself or herself. All too often, people equate humility with a sense of inadequacy or even worthlessness. But Sirach sets us straight. Humility has nothing to do with how lowly we think we are or how self-effacing we act. It has to do with who we know God and others to be. If we know how great God is, we won’t feel the need to put ourselves down just so that we can exalt him. God doesn’t need our help to look better than he is! In fact, valuing everyone and everything he has made—including ourselves—only exalts him all the more! Just as disparaging ourselves doesn’t help exalt the Lord, neither does it help us look more humble among our peers. All people have their own special gifts and talents, and the more we use them to build the kingdom together, the more we show the world what true servanthood—humble dedication to a cause greater than ourselves—looks like. So practice humility by exalting the Lord and honoring your brothers and sisters. Let your service to him and his people soften any brittleness in your heart. You are part of his perfect plan, and the more you embrace that plan, the more your life will shine—to the glory of Jesus! “Father, you are wise and good and powerful. Teach me true humility as I praise you, love your people, and serve your Church!”
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 04:47:47 +0000
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