On a sabbath he 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 everyone 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, and 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.
Luke 14:1, 7-14 (NABRE)
Such great a great reward is surely possible for us.
Jesus finishes His two monologues of instruction with sayings related to eternal reward: exaltation of the humble and resurrection of the righteous. These rewards are open to all, but as Jesus reminds us in last week’s Gospel reading, to gate is narrow. Jesus points out two important aspects of the Christian life: humility and care for the poor. Both lead us to receive the everlasting crown of glory at the exaltation of the righteous on the last day. They also help us to build a world in which Christ can rest His head.
Humility is powerful, for a life lived with an attitude of humility leads us to recognize and act upon two important and related truths: 1) we are sinners and 2) we are dependent on God’s grace. In humility, we recognize our poverty and the pain of deprivation that comes from slavery to sin. In humility, we appreciate what it feels like to go hungry or to experience separation or loss or imprisonment, whether physical or spiritual. Beautiful Humility’s daughters are named Empathy and Courage. When we are humble, we reflect upon the provision of God and how willing He is to give to us in and even surprise us with amazing generosity in all of our needs and desires for what is good, no matter how trivial we may think they are. With this in mind, we see our fellow man or woman and recognize our shared experience of sin, suffering, and misery as we ponder our own. This compels us to seek the courage we need to boldly ask and trust in God for His provision for our needs and the needs to others and the grace to do what we can to help. If we all lived with this attitude, the world would be a much more livable place!
This fits nicely with the second part of this passage. Our humility, empathy, and courage help us to do something as radical as welcoming the stranger, which is a work of mercy prized by Jesus (Matthew 28:31-46). This allows us to get outside ourselves and to recognize the dignity of each person as a beloved child, a masterpiece deliberately created by God Most High and loved by the self-sacrificing Jesus and sanctified by the Holy Spirit and called to share in the blessed peace, joy, and beauty of Heaven. With this in mind, we act to help them.
Humility will lead to exaltation and resurrection among the righteous.
God thinks in such an awesome way, doesn’t He?
Thank you for reading. Peace.
Eat the Scroll 