Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Reflection for Sunday September 1, Twenty-Second 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 inited 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.”
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Reflection:
A man was aspiring to be the leader of his group, so he said to himself: “I will talk a lot and flaunt my intelligence so that they would 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. When election day came he was not elected to lead the group instead the one that was chosen was the quiet and humble member.

What is the advantage of a humble person over an egotistical person? The crowd always favors the humble person. The humble will never aspire to be in front he would be content to be at the sideline doing his assigned task. If somebody would notice what he does he would appreciate it without gloating about it. If he would be assigned a position of prominence he would not immediately accept it. He would instead first think carefully about it. The humble person is not boastful, not egotistical and doesn’t seek prominence. 
  
In the gospel for this Sunday Jesus talks about humility. Jesus tells us that if we are invited into a wedding banquet or any banquet for that matter. We should choose to seat at the back and not in the place of honor, not because we feel inferior or we have an inferiority complex.  We seat at the back for this is the right action to do. Afterwards if the host would call our attention to be seated elsewhere then we should follow.

What if for example a person doesn’t have humility?  Could he be converted to imbibe the virtue of humility? Yes absolutely! He could be converted provided that he would be ready to follow the leadings of Jesus in his life. Why? Because in each and everyday of our life Jesus is always inviting us to leave behind our character of arrogance and hunger for prominence.

For the simple reason that these would only bring us trouble and problem. And it would certainly keep us away from the love and mercy of God. Because Jesus always wants us to be humble. And the virtue of humility if this is present in a person’s life could become his walkway towards Jesus.    
Strive to be humble and ask Jesus to make you humble for nothing is impossible for the Lord. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks 🤗🤗🤗

Marino J. Dasmarinas said...

You're welcome and God bless you!