Gospel Lectio Divina for Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 28, 2022
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Lk 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."
MEDITATE
The people there were observing him carefully
Why were they observing him carefully? Some may have been doing so in an attempt to catch him doing or saying something with which they could accuse him. Others may have honestly been trying to learn from him. Still, others may have been on the fence. Nicodemus, for example, even though he was under the influence of the scribes and Pharisees quite often, was still open to the teachings of Christ. It helps to really consider each word in Scripture before jumping to conclusions. It also helps to put ourselves in the shoes of the Pharisees sometimes. Were they always judging him? Did they give him a chance? How often am I also critical of Jesus’ teachings, trying to find loopholes? Sometimes my questions about his teachings are justified. The main question to ask myself is “Am I honestly seeking to increase my faith and understanding of truth, or am I just trying to wiggle my way out of living a Christian life?”
Go and take the lowest place
Jesus’ counterintuitive advice actually makes more and more sense the more I think about it. It’s similar to the way we may save the best for last, knowing full well that delayed gratification makes the reward all the sweeter. Spock from Star Trek once said, “After a time, you may find that ‘having’ is not so pleasing a thing after all as ‘wanting.’ It is not logical, but it is often true.” Jesus would agree. He is teaching us to not want what we want so badly that we absolutely have to have it. He distinguishes between desire and greed. It is good to have desires, but it is not good to be greedy. The guest who takes the lowest place still wants a higher place. The same could be said of a poor man. It’s not that he doesn’t want riches, but he is content with simply wanting them. His desire does not become excessive to the point where it turns into greed. In this way, he learns to cherish even the smallest gifts, if only because he didn’t have them before. If the guest who takes a lowly place actually wanted that lowly place, he would not care for a seat of higher honor. He would then perhaps refuse a higher seat if given one, and then dishonor the host. So Jesus, believe it or not, isn’t telling us to simply renounce places of honor. He is telling us not to seek them out because doing so is vain and prideful. It is prideful to think I am worthy of a seat of honor, and that pride actually disqualifies me from deserving the honor.
The same could be said about positions of power and leadership. In today’s society, we have many career politicians who spend their lives pursuing positions of power because they think they are the best ones for the job. This is precisely the kind of attitude Jesus tells us not to have. In the movie Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) asks Maximus (Russell Crowe) to succeed him as emperor. “Won't you accept this great honor that I have offered you?” Marcus Aurelius says to him. Maximus responds, “With all my heart, no.” And the emperor tells him, “Maximus, that is why it must be you.” His humility is what makes Maximus a worthy leader. Jesus wants leaders like this in his kingdom.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
Again, Jesus' paradoxical wisdom actually makes perfect sense. In many areas of life, we obtain what we’re after by going against common trends. Ironically, common sense often recommends going against common trends, but because we usually have a natural inclination to just do what everyone else is doing, we often lose sight of common sense. Common sense is what a person would commonly do when free from the influence of others. It is the logic that is inherent in our minds and not contingent upon the thoughts of our peers. Humility and common sense, then, go together because both comply with the truth. A humble person knows his place in the big picture, and therefore logically concludes that he probably shouldn’t assume a seat of honor. Not only is it humble to assume a lowly place, but it is also truthful and logical. Jesus’ advice is obvious. Who in their right mind would expect to be exalted by others after exalting themselves? Jesus, the Word of God who is reason himself, is pointing out the logic that is inherent within humility. It’s common sense that I am more likely to be exalted if I exhibit humility than if I exalt myself, but human pride often gets in the way of common sense.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
This is the essence of hope: to live for something we cannot know we will even receive, but we believe we will. Our reasons for hoping may vary, but essentially hope is sustained by the belief that there is something more. We can live our entire lives pursuing a pure desire and never reach it until we reach heaven. In fact, many saints lived this way. Because of this, justice demands that they receive some reward. The selfless sacrifice of their lives–through living, or dying, or sometimes living and dying, for Christ–is proof that heaven exists because a just God would never let such a sacrifice go unrewarded.
PRAY
Dear heavenly Father,
When bombarded by the pressures of the world to be successful in the eyes of my peers and colleagues, it’s easy to lose sight of heaven and the values you cherish. Help me to focus on you and see that you are the only reward worth pursuing in the end. Everything else I pursue should only be a means to you. Then I will learn true humility, as I live for the one in whose presence I must always be humble. Teach me to be humble, because I believe that is the key to happiness in life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LISTEN
When we listen to God, we remember how small we are. Sometimes I take a drive just to remember how big the world is, and how insignificant I am in the large scheme of things. This doesn’t mean I can do whatever I want and it won’t matter, because I have my own soul to tend to. In fact, when I see how big my Father’s world is, my task becomes clear. I then notice that he only expects me to get my own life in order. As St Teresa of Calcutta said, “Sanctify yourself, and you will sanctify the world.”
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
