Reflection for August 31, 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:1, 7-14

Gospel: Luke 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.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

A man was aspiring to be the leader of his group, so he said to himself: “I will talk a lot and flaunt what I know so that they will notice me.” So he did. He was always talking and very opinionated, with the end in mind that he would be noticed by his peers and be anointed as their leader. 

But when election day came, he was not chosen. Instead, the one who was elected was the quiet and humble member. What is the advantage of a humble person over an egotistical one? The truth is, people are naturally drawn to the humble, because humility reflects a heart that is genuine, approachable, and pure. 

The humble person never craves the spotlight. He is content to remain in the background, faithfully doing the tasks entrusted to him. If others happen to notice his good works, he quietly appreciates it without pride or boasting. 

When offered a position of prominence, he does not rush to accept; instead, he discerns carefully, seeking to know if it is truly God’s will. The humble person is not boastful, not egotistical, and not self-seeking. His strength is found in his quiet trust in God. 

In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus speaks about humility. He tells us that if we are invited to a wedding banquet—or any banquet, for that matter—we should choose to sit at the back and not in the place of honor. This is not because we are inferior or bound by insecurity, but because humility is the right posture before God and before others. Then, if the host calls us forward, we rise in obedience, not in arrogance. 

But what if a person does not yet have humility? Could he still learn to embrace this virtue? Absolutely yes! Conversion is always possible if one is willing to follow the gentle leadings of Jesus. Every day, the Lord invites us to lay aside our pride, our arrogance, and our thirst for recognition, and instead to walk the path of humility. 

Would you walk the path of humility? – Marino J. Dasmarinas