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 so the host that 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 that exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
The Gospel of the Lord.
October 24, 2010:
Luke 18:9-14.
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector, The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -- greedy, dishonest, adulterous - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.' I tell you the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
The Gospel of the Lord.
One title used by St. Augustine and St. Benedict and also used by Pope St. Gregory the Great is "servant of the servants of God".
Everyone here in this room is a child of God. Each is valuable. When I would sum up in criminal cases, I wanted to emphasize the value of each member of the jury. So I would explain how 12 persons could decide a complicated criminal case with no experience and no notes. I said 12 acting together could remember a whole trial while one acting alone could not And then I would predict that during deliberations each would contribute knowing that when me prediction came true, they would all remember my prediction and from that my argument. Similarly each one of you is here for your individual reason and for your communal reason. And each during the meal will be raised up individually and communally - each in humbling himself will be exalted.
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