Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 126
Reading 1
My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.
What is too sublime for you, seek not,
into things beyond your strength search not.
The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (cf. 11b) God, in your goodness, you have made a
home for the poor.
The just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
and storm and a trumpet blast
and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
We have learned that one of the most dangerous sins is that of pride. It is the gateway to all other sin, since raising oneself to a higher position of power and arrogance creates a perception that actions have no consequences, even with God. The English historian Lord Acton said,
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men…"
He continued by observing that the more power someone gains, the lower their morality becomes. This should serve as warning to us that with power comes pride, and with pride comes the temptation to sin without caring about the consequences. The opposite of pride is humility. When we approach our lives with the understanding that all that we have been given was not earned but given to us by God, we can then live a life of thanksgiving and appreciation instead of one that has a focus on material gain; things rooted in the desires of the flesh.
When we practice humility, we lower ourselves below the status of everyone that we interact with. We can then be able to recognize that we all are God’s children with a spark of divinity, which puts all of us on the same level. No one is greater and no one is less in the eyes of God. It is here where we can then do good acts and be open to the grace of God, which He is offering to us continuously for our benefit. Humbling ourselves makes us subject to the will of God and His love. Lifting ourselves up makes us subject to the will of those in this world who just might not have our best interests at heart. We are reminded in Psalm 51,
“For you do not desire sacrifice,
A burnt offering you would not accept.
My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit;
God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.”
This is an acknowledgement that the key to love, forgiveness, and joy is humility. It is through humility that we can understand that it is through God that all good things flow from, since He is the ultimate good. It is through Him that we can become whole and experience life the way we were supposed to.
23% of the adult population in this country are currently on some sort of antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication. About 10% have some sort of addiction. This does not include sex and gambling. The reason for this cannot be explained by one train of thought. There can be many different reasons, but it can be argued that the root cause of all these things come from the constructs found in society; developed through demands, needs, and desires not focused on God. When our relationship with God is the principle focus of our time and energy, we are then able to reorder things that are important to us. We will then find that what will be at the top of our list are not things of a selfish, materialistic nature, but things that are of the spirit: love, tenderness, compassion, and empathy.
Actor Shia LaBeouf is a Hollywood actor known for his roles in such movies as “Transformers” and “The Fury.” He was also known for his controversial behavior and conduct. His mental health was questioned on many occasions, and he was known as much for his off-screen conduct as was his on-screen acting. He then went through a fundamental change. While preparing for his role as Padre Pio in an upcoming movie, he experienced a conversion. LaBeouf spoke at length about his appreciation of the works of St. Augustine and Thomas Merton, his devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass, the peace he feels when he prays the rosary, spending time in a monastery, and his experience receiving the Holy Eucharist for the very first time.
“I start feeling a physical effect from it,” he said of going to Communion. “I start feeling a reprieve and it starts feeling, like, regenerative, and [I] start enjoying it to such a degree I don't want to miss it, ever.”
It is through humility that we can cast away our pride and encounter Christ. It is through realizing that we are a small part of a greater whole that is working towards a common goal, God, that we can stop resisting that which we know is true: that God is our Father and to be loved by Him we must let Him into our hearts. It is through realizing that we are not as important as we think that we are raised in status as a child of God created in His image. It is then and only then, that great things start to happen.
Deacon Tom
