Reading 1
Phil 1:18b-26
Brothers and sisters:
As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,
for I know that this will result in deliverance for me
through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
My eager expectation and hope
is that I shall not be put to shame in any way,
but that with all boldness, now as always,
Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
And this I know with confidence,
that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you
for your progress and joy in the faith,
so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me
when I come to you again.
Ps 42:2, 3, 5cdef
Responsorial PsalmR.
My soul is thirsting for the living God.
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
I went with the throng
and led them in procession to the house of God.
Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,
with the multitude keeping festival.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
Gospel
Lk 14:1, 7-11
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 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Meditation: Luke 14:7-11
“Give your place to this man.” (Luke 14:9)
On the face of it, this passage reads as if Jesus were giving pragmatic advice for people invited to dinner parties. Instead of seeking the place of honor, then being embarrassed when a more worthy guest arrives and you are demoted, seek a lower place at the beginning, all the while secretly hoping the host will invite you “higher,” where you know you truly belong. It’s a canny strategy, and it just might work in many situations. But if we read these verses in this way, the result doesn’t really fit with Christian humility. It’s all about appearances and prestige in the sight of others.
Surely that’s not what Jesus was after. Surely there is another way to look at it. We could readily imagine giving “our place” to a president, a CEO, an entertainer, or another celebrity. But suppose you were asked to give up your place of honor to an unkempt homeless man. Or a starving child in a Third World country. Or a foster teenager without a forever family. Or a victim of domestic abuse. Or an immigrant separated from his family support system. How quickly and willingly would you do it?
Of course, these are exactly the kind of folks with whom Jesus identifies. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). To give such a person a place of honor, to put his needs before your own and to serve him as a waiter serves clients at a fine restaurant, is in fact to honor the One who is worthy of the highest place. It is to serve and honor the One who emptied himself and took the lowest place all for our sake (Philippians 2:7).
Today, be on the lookout to see if there is someone whom God may be inviting you to offer your place of comfort or honor. Someone may cross your path whom you could serve, whether through an act of generosity, a word of encouragement, or an offer of forgiveness. Give your place to this person! Humble yourself, and the Lord will lift up both of you!
“Jesus, you gave up your place in heaven to become my servant, to die for my sins. Open my eyes and my heart to the needs of those around me.”
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