22nd Sunday In Ordinary Time
– Cycle C
Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29;
Hebrews 12:
18-19, 22-24a;
Luke 14: 1, 7-14
There
was a good reason why the guests observed Jesus closely when he went
to dinner. Jesus had a bit of a reputation for unorthodox behavior
at dinner parties. On two previous occasions, he had shocked the
guests. There was that meal when he had allowed a woman to perfume
his feet. At another feast, he had begun eating without the ritual
washing of hands. And now there was this meal at a leading
Pharisee's house – not just any meal – but a Sabbath dinner.
What new act of “bad manners” would this rabbi from Nazareth
commit at this sacred celebration?
That
is why they observed him closely.
The
irony of today's Gospel is that Jesus was observing them
closely. He noticed how the sophisticated religious leaders were
acting like children, grabbing the best seats around the table so
that they would appear important. As usual, Jesus turns the tables.
He always reverses the order we think should be in place. He tells
them to sit at the lowest places so that they will be invited by the
host to come up higher. Jesus is trying to show the dinner guests
how to be humble. What
he is truly teaching the Pharisees and us is this: Remember where
you stand and in whose presence.
Even though the dinner guests observed him closely, they
failed to recognize that they were standing in the presence of, not
just the host of a dinner party, but the host of the heavenly
banquet, Jesus himself.
Remember where you stand and in whose presence.
There
is a danger here, a pitfall that we all must navigate. I will call
this danger the “mask of humility.” There is a big difference
between acting humble to impress others and genuine humility.
In 2004, my wife and I entered into formation for the
diaconate. At our first class, we took turns introducing ourselves
and telling our life stories. There were seventeen new aspirants
plus spouses in the room, and as we listened to these stories, one of
the men became more and more convinced that he was in the wrong
place. He heard about years in seminary that ended before
completion. He heard of years of parish service and parishioners
telling them that they would make good deacons. He heard people
talking about their callings – how they were absolutely certain
that they had a vocation to the diaconate. Two of the people present
had even experienced miraculous healings. The man to whom I am
referring had experienced none of those things. He was the last to
speak that day, and when he spoke, it was without a “mask of
humility.” He admitted he didn't know if he had a calling and said
that, after hearing the other stories, he was feeling inadequate to
the task. When he had finished, one of the others said something
that has stuck with me. He said that none of us is worthy to serve
the Lord, but our desire to humbly serve, coupled with the grace of
God and the movement of the Spirit, may just be enough.
Let me say that again – our desire to humbly serve,
coupled with the grace of God and the movement of the Spirit, may
just be enough.
In a few moments, we will all be sharing the greatest
gift of all, the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the great equalizer.
At this meal of the Lord we are all the same in God's eyes. God
recognizes and rejoices in both our accomplishments and our
shortcomings. It doesn't matter if we are the first in line or the
last. It doesn't matter if we are rich or poor, famous or unknown,
religious or not, no one is greater than the others. The gift of the
Eucharist is the same for each of us. That's why it is foolish to
wear a mask of humility before God. In the presence of the Host of
this Eucharistic meal, the Lord instructs each of us to remember
where we stand and in whose presence.
And because the Eucharist is supposed to spill out into
the rest of our lives, during all the meals that we share this week –
at home, at work, at McDonald's, or if you are lucky, at a nice
restaurant, remember where you stand and in whose presence. If we
can do this, we can all remove our masks and know what God means by
humility.
Deacon Darryl J. Diemer
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 1, 2013
Painting:
Georges de La Tour
Christ In The Carpenter's Shop, 1645
