A Reflection for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C).
Ecclesiasticus 3:17-20, 28-29 – Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 – Luke 14:1, 7-14.
Not long ago, the whole country was shut down and we weren’t able to come together to participate in Holy Mass. We couldn’t visit each other or share a meal with people outside our family units, and we missed out on opportunities to socialise over a meal, either in a restaurant or in a café, or at home. Even after Masses resumed, it was quite a while until we were able to get together in the hall after Mass for tea and a catch-up. We mourned the loss of these things, didn’t we? Even now that everything is more-or-less back to normal, some people still don’t feel comfortable about attending any community gatherings, and many others continue to struggle with loneliness and isolation. It is not good for man to be alone (Gen 2:18), which is why it’s been so heartening to see worshippers regaining the confidence to come back to the pews and participate fully in the offering of the Mass!
From time immemorial, going out for dinner or having a meal with other people has been a popular way of socializing and of getting to know other people better. Such occasions give us the opportunity to have a chat with people, to learn a bit what’s going on in their lives, and to share our news with them. At the same time, the body gets nourished, and so do the mind and the heart. Across the table, in a relaxed and informal environment, we can learn so much about one another. Getting people with differing agendas together over a meal can be a helpful way of smoothing the path to a solution regarding a business proposal or a social issue. Whenever we get together to eat, the bonus is that we get to know more and more about other people and to benefit from their take on life.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus was invited to go for a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee. The invitation was probably extended to Him at the close of worship on the Sabbath, in the same way as we might invite someone to join us for refreshments after Sunday Mass. This offer of table fellowship was designed to give this Pharisee and his elite guests the opportunity to socialise with Jesus and to get to know more about His teachings, especially where these differed from their own understanding of the Law. The meal was the setting to enable them to discover what made Him tick and to challenge Him in order to find out if what He taught held water. The word of God opens by saying that they watched Jesus closely. Jesus, however, turned the tables on them!
Having observed that they picked the places of honour, Jesus used the context of table fellowship to teach them via a parable of the need to avoid self-exaltation and pride, and to embrace humility. He criticised the Pharisees for automatically occupying seats at the high table because they perceived the honour as their due. Their mistake was to feel entitled. They had a false sense of their own importance, and considered themselves superior to other people. Jesus’ teaching is that we are all equal before God. Why? Because we’re His children (1Jn 3:1; 2Cor 6:18)! Look, in the 2nd reading, the word of God declares that we are all first-born sons and citizens of heaven (v.23). It is inappropriate for anyone to claim superiority and/or the automatic right to a position of honour, because to do so is to commit the sin of Pride. The First reading confirms that the greater you are, the more you should behave humbly (v.18). The Lord accepts the prayer of the humble (v.19), but there is no cure for the proud person’s malady (v.28). The Jerusalem Bible translation says this more clearly: for the disease of the proud, there is no cure. The verse goes on to say why: since an evil growth has taken root there. What a proud person is suffering from is a bloated ego. You’ve heard the saying “Pride comes before a fall”? What it means is that someone who is full of themselves and their own self-importance in their own head is certain to come down to earth with a bump.
Jesus also criticised human standards of association and interaction. When someone is throwing a party or inviting people to a ‘do’, what usually happens is that they invite only their nearest and dearest, along with people of the same social standing as themselves, just as the leading Pharisee in the Gospel reading only invited members in his circle of friends. I have a couple of questions for you. How far are you guilty of only inviting people of a certain social standing to your parties and celebrations? Have you been guilty of backing off from relationships with black sheep in the family and from acquaintances who don’t measure up to your social status and lifestyle? Jesus tells the leading Pharisee (and, by extension, us) not to be a snob nor to be dismissive of people lower down the greasy pole. How come? Because it is God who determines who is to be gifted with status and honours (G v.11). As followers of Christ, we are to disregard barriers thrown up along socio-political, economic, cultural and racial lines. In the same way that God doesn’t make such distinctions between us as individuals, so should we not be guilty of making distinctions that prompt disunity and inequality between people. That’s because each one of us raised with Christ (Col 3:1; Eph 2:6) is destined to be a first-born child and a citizen of heaven (2R v.23). Reassure yourself constantly with that truth!
Finally, the offering of Holy Mass brings us together in fellowship. We, who confess humbly and wholeheartedly that Jesus is Lord (Rom 10:9), are all invited to partake of His Feast. At Mass, we gather before the altar of sacrifice, the consecrated ‘table’ where the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Lord are confected. In consuming Him, we take Him into ourselves and bear Him to the world. His presence within us nourishes our souls. May we emulate the humility of Our Lord, who offered Himself willingly in atonement for our sins and as food for our souls. Through the word of God, may we listen and learn how to become more and more like Him in word and deed, so that ultimately we may win the prize of salvation. May our eyes be opened to see honour in humility and to accept one another in Christ Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour, who bestows upon us the gift of salvation. Amen. God bless you.