WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED

XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 14:1,7-14

Jesus was invited to a meal in a Pharisee’s home, and “they watched him closely” so that they might prove him wrong. We get the impression that, on both sides, they spied on each other. Jesus was always aware of his surroundings, paying attention to the attitudes and the reactions of those who surrounded him. Noticing how the guests were looking for “the places of honour”, Jesus took the opportunity to set forth before them the path of righteousness. If someone, full of pride, looks down on everybody else, he is walking on the path to self-destruction. By his pride, he cuts the strings that connect him to the others and remains alone, full of himself and empty of everything which may bring peace and happiness. That’s why Jesus said it very clearly: “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.”

To humble oneself does not mean to accept any kind of humiliation that robs us of our dignity. Instead, it means to recognise and to accept our weaknesses and shortcomings; it means to become aware of the need of belonging, knowing that we are interdependent and need the others to live and find happiness. 

In the book of Sirach, there is a passage, which is this Sunday’s first reading about being humble and about the danger of being proud, comparing pride to a sickness: “There is no cure for the proud man’s malady since an evil growth has taken root in him.” Being proud, we ignore, despise and oppress the others and turn our back on God. This pride becomes the root of selfishness, jealousy, envy and hatred, ignoring the truth and being satisfied with lies.

Humbling ourselves, we will be able to sit with the poor and to pay attention to the needs of the others. Let us pray and ask the Lord to give us a humble heart who can rejoice in the goodness of others.

ARE YOU SAVED?

XXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 13:22-30

The people of Israel always felt as being privileged and considered themselves as the “chosen people”, as if God only cared for them and ignored all the others. However, very soon, the prophets came to realise that the people of Israel were set apart for the sake of all other peoples of the earth. God chose Israel because he cares about the wellbeing and the salvation of all peoples. In spite of desiring the best for his people, Isaiah was not narrow-minded and he was not in any way a man full of bigotry; guided by the Spirit of God, he was open-minded and his gaze reaches far and wide. He understood that God had a plan of salvation for all: “The Lord says this: I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory.”

However, we should not take salvation for granted. It is not a “fait accompli”. And there is always the danger that we may never get hold of it. There are some people who blindly believe that they are saved already. We received a promise of salvation and we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ. We know that we are saved by his grace: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ep 2:8-9). Does that mean that no matter what we are already saved? On his side, God has done everything, showing deep love and commitment, being faithful to his covenant. However, salvation depends as well on the answer we give to God’s call. If we ignore his love and turn our backs on him, he will not drag us against our will and he will force us into heaven.

This Sunday’s gospel speaks about the earnestness with which we should approach the door to salvation: “‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.” This means that we must try hard and be forceful in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus advises us to take seriously the road to salvation, being committed to the keeping of the commandments, that is being committed to living by love. It is not enough to call ourselves Christians, we must follow the Way of Jesus Christ. If we do not do so, he will disown us.

JESUS BRINGS THE FIRE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

XX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:49-53

Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s gospel sound a bit cryptic and we may ask ourselves what Jesus wanted to say. “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!” These words may give us the idea that Jesus was an arsonist and that he was intent on committing a crime; but how could he set fire to the whole world? To guess the possible meaning of Jesus’ words, we must go through the Scriptures and find out what fire stands for.

Fire can be a reference to a manifestation of God’s presence, glory and holiness, like the “flame of fire” (Ex 3:2), the “pillar of fire” (Ex 13:22) and on Mount Sinai, where “the Lord had descended on it in fire” (Ex 19:18). The book of Deuteronomy speaks of God as a “consuming fire”, referring to his jealousy (Dt 4:24) or referring to God as a “consuming fire” that destroys the enemies and protects the people of Israel (Dt 9:3). The fire may also refer to God’s anger that will bring punishment on those who oppose him: 

“For a fire is kindled by my anger,

and it burns to the depths of Sheol,

devours the earth and its increase,

and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

“‘And I will heap disasters upon them;

I will spend my arrows on them” (Dt 32:22-23).

“I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.” (Jr 15:14).

The fire refers also to a purifying fire that burns down selfishness, pride, hatred, injustice, exploitation and oppression, that is the slavery of sin so that a new world may come about and a new order may be established and the Kingdom of God may set in.

Fire is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of love and the spark of wisdom. The Apostles experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit as “tongues of fire”, which “appeared to them and rested on each one of them” (Act 2:3). And that was the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise that would receive the power of the Holy Spirit so that they would the courage to preach the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. So the words of Jesus about the fire that he brings refers mainly to the coming of the Kingdom of God and the coming of the Holy Spirit, which will enable his disciples to become the yeast that will transform the world from within.

The baptism that Jesus must receive is his passion and his death on the cross and through that baptism, he will purify the world and recreate it anew.

Then, Jesus speaks about peace and division, clearly stating that he does not bring peace but division. Nowadays, some people do violence to others in the name of God. And this leads others to blame all religions, accusing them of being the ideological foundation for violence. And they dare to accuse Jesus of being a promoter of violence since he said that he did not bring peace but division. Such a conclusion shows a big misunderstanding and misinterpretation of Jesus’ words. Jesus is telling us that before Him we must choose: either we accept his way of life or we reject it. And people will be divided between those who accept him and those who reject him. His disciples must prepare themselves to be rejected and to suffer violence because they accepted Christ and chose to live by his words. It may happen that even their relatives will become their enemies. The disciples of Jesus will suffer because of their faith, and in no way are they instructed to inflict suffering on those who reject Jesus Christ. Going through the way of the cross and making the experience of the calvary with Jesus, we will climb to the mountain of God’s glory. Sharing in Jesus’ death, we will share as well in his resurrection.

STAY AWAKE AND STAND READY

XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:32-48

We are becoming a people without memory, who forgot their history, the values which guided them, the leaders that moved them forward and the routes which brought them to the present. It is as if we want to cut all the bridges with the past and become someone who hovers up in the empty sky with dreams of a new world built by sheer imagination - a world without foundation and without pillars to prop it up, floating on emptiness. 

The book of Wisdom in the first reading (Wisdom 18:6-9) and the letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19) in the second reading bring forward the importance of looking back and bringing to memory the great ancestors who stand out as guides and role models. With them we learn how to have a listening heart to God, being open to him and allowing him to touch our lives.

Looking to the great ancestors, we learn to have the right attitude to walk with Christ and to welcome the Kingdom of God. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus presents the attitudes that should mould us, for us to be ready for God’s grace, love and mercy.

1. We should be filled with trust and confidence in God because the Lord will not abandon us and he will fulfil his promises of redemption.
2. We must be single-minded about the Kingdom of God, looking forward to it and accepting it as the only treasure worthy of everything that I have and that I am.
3. We must be on the alert, with eyes wide open to recognising God’s presence and God’s actions in our midst. 
4. We must be ready, having an attitude of service and commitment, knowing that we were entrusted with God’s work. It is God’s project, not our own project.
5. That’s why we must have an attitude of dutifulness. It is our duty. There is nothing to boast about for doing what we are supposed to do.
6. Jesus warns us about the danger of abusing our position and using God’s work to promote ourselves. When we do that, we start oppressing and exploiting others. And we shall be called to account for our actions.

In a very reassuring way, Jesus tells us that, if we are found faithful, he himself will set the table for us and serve us.

Let us pray with the psalm:

“Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

  The Lord is our help and our shield.

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

  as we place all our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)

BE ON YOUR GUARD AGAINST AVARICE

XVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:13-21

Although we proclaim Jesus as the one who will come to judge and to separate the righteous from the evil ones, here on earth he refused to judge, mainly when presented with petty issues, even though we consider them very important. Jesus concentrated only on proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that we must repent, convert and welcome God’s kingdom. He was not concerned with wealth, power and glory, considering them false values and an obstacle to the coming of the Kingdom of God and he taught his disciples to stay far away from them. Jesus lives according to the wisdom presented in the book of Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes): to be concerned with riches and what they can obtain is vanity. In the end, they do not satisfy us, do not protect us from suffering and do not bring peace and everlasting joy. For a while, we get puffed up and then we burst and wither away to be forgotten.

Jesus warns us against avarice: “Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.” In spite of this warning, today’s world is dominated by avarice and to the ears of today’s people Jesus’ words sound foolish. Our society is built upon the procuring of profit and everything is measured by it. What is not profitable on itself must, at least, enhance the activities that bring profit; otherwise, they will be discarded. Lured by riches, we transform the others in tools measured by their profitability. Full of avarice, we become deluded, incapable of assessing the reality that surrounds us. We behave as if we have an inner power that comes forth and destroys everything which does not recognise us. We set ourselves up as gods that should be worshipped. And that is a sheer delusion since we are frail and mortal. And Jesus’ words about the rich man can be applied to us: “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?”. Death is never far away and sooner or later it will catch up with us and prove our foolishness.

ASK, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU

XVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 11:1-13

The disciples were impressed by the way Jesus prayed. And they would like to learn from him. This desire led one of the disciples to make a request that we must repeat time and again: Lord, teach us to pray. Indeed, we do not know how to pray and what to pray for.

As a model for prayer, Jesus taught them the “Our Father”, the prayer that distinguishes us as Christians. Addressing God as Father, we declare ourselves to be his children, recognising his loving care, which fills us with trust and confidence. As we feel loved by God, we can approach him without fear and we can present to him all our needs. Calling God “our Father”, we affirm that we are linked to everybody else with strong bonds of brotherhood. We belong to the same family and together we acknowledge His love and affection. Then, we present before him our requests. And we pray: “Hallowed be your name” as if God’s name was not holy and our prayer would make it holy. However, it is not so, since God is the Holy One, without any shadow of evil or imperfection. In fact, we are addressing Him in an act of praise and thanksgiving, proclaiming that He is holy and asking that his holiness may be present in us. In the Law of Moses, God told the people of Israel what he is repeating to each one of us: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev 19:2). 

And we pray that his “kingdom come”, that is we pray for a human society in which God may be present and recognised as the giver of life; may God’s presence be manifest in a worthy existence, where our human dignity is recognised and where each one of us finds what he needs for a worthy existence (the “daily bread). God’s kingdom can only manifest itself in reconciled society;  thus we pray for the forgiveness of sin, which is granted by God on the condition that we are ready to be merciful and to forgive those who are “in debt to us”. Prayer cannot be an individualistic exercise; in all its dimensions, prayer connects us to all brothers, that is to the community, to the Church.

As we pray, we recognise that because we are weak and vulnerable, we go astray and easily fall prey to temptation. In order to find guidance, discernment and the strength to make the right choices, we pray: “lead us not into temptation”.

God always gives us the best, especially the best of all - the Holy Spirit. Jesus teaches us to have confidence in the love and care of the Father and to be persistent in prayer. We must approach God as someone who feels lost or as someone who is drowning and with desperation grasps the lifebuoy thrown at him. 

“So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him.”

TO BE WITH THE LORD IS THE BEST PART

XVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 10:38-42

St. Augustine, in one of his sermons, reflected upon this Sunday’s gospel, speaking of Martha as representing our life here on earth, travelling towards our heavenly home; and of Mary as representing our life with God, as citizens of heaven.

“Our Lord’s words teach us that though we labour among the many distractions of this world, we should have but one goal. For we are but travellers on a journey without as yet a fixed abode; we are on our way, not yet in our native land; we are in a state of longing, not yet of enjoyment. But let us continue on our way, and continue without sloth or respite, so that we may ultimately arrive at our destination.

Martha and Mary were sisters, related not only by blood but also by religious aspirations. They stayed close to our Lord and both served him harmoniously when he was among them. Martha welcomed him as travellers are welcomed. But in her case, the maidservant received her Lord, the invalid her Savior, the creature her Creator, to serve him bodily food while she was to be fed by the Spirit. For the Lord willed to put on the form of a slave, and under this form to be fed by his own servants, out of condescension and not out of need. For this was indeed condescension, to present himself to be fed; since he was in the flesh he would indeed be hungry and thirsty.

Thus was the Lord received as a guest who came unto his own and his own received him not; but as many as received him, he gave them the power to become sons of God, adopting those who were servants and making them his brothers, ransoming the captives and making them his co-heirs. No one of you should say: “Blessed are they who have deserved to receive Christ into their homes!” Do not grieve or complain that you were born in a time when you can no longer see God in the flesh. He did not in fact take this privilege from you. As he says: Whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you did to me.

But you, Martha, If I may say so, are blessed for your good service, and for your labours you seek the reward of peace. Now you are much occupied in nourishing the body, admittedly a holy one. But when you come to the heavenly homeland will you find a traveler to welcome, someone hungry to feed, or thirsty to whom you may give drink, someone ill whom you could visit, or quarrelling whom you could reconcile, or dead whom you could bury?

No, there will be none of these tasks there. What you will find there is what Mary chose. There we shall not feed others, we ourselves shall be fed. Thus what Mary chose in this life will be realised there in all its fullness; she was gathering fragments from that rich banquet, the Word of God. Do you wish to know what we will have there? The Lord himself tells us when he says of his servants, Amen, I say to you, he will make them recline and passing he will serve them.”

(A reading from a sermon by St. Augustine (Sermo 103, 1-2, 6: PL 38, 613, 615) for the Feast of Saint Martha sister of Mary and Lazarus on July 29.)