Homily—22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Fr. Timothy Castor

At first glance, the beginning of today’s Gospel seems to be little more than a lesson in etiquette: good table manners for when you’re invited to a banquet. And, on that level, it is excellent advice. If you don’t know where you’re supposed to sit, the best way to avoid the embarrassment of being sent to a lower place is to take a low place to begin with.

Of course, our Lord is teaching us more than table manners here; he is giving us a lesson in how to practice the virtue of humility. The self-important and prideful person seeks the place of honor because he thinks that is what he deserves. When he finds that the host has assigned him a lower place, then he suffers humiliation: he has learned humility the hard way. The humble man, on the other hand, naturally gravitates toward the lower spots, because he honestly believes that’s all he deserves. And, when the host calls him up higher, he is honored and respected on account of his humility.

Great persons are known for their humility. A great actor like James Stewart was loved and respected the world over because of his humility. One of the qualities which made Mother Teresa so attractive to Catholics and non-Catholics alike was her humility. And, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ and his blessed Mother Mary are the prime examples of humility. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me," Jesus says, "for I am meek and humble of heart." And our Lady sings in her Magnificat: "He has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed."

It has been said that "true humility is not to think low of oneself but to think rightly, truthfully of oneself." The way to practice the Gospel virtue of humility is to recognize who and what we really are—to have a accurate view of ourselves and where we stand before God and before others. The great preacher William Barclay put it this way: "How can we retain our humility? We can retain it by realizing the facts. How ever much we know, we still know very little compared with the sum total of knowledge. However much we have achieved, we still have achieved very little in the end. However important we may believe ourselves to be, when death removes us or when we retire from our position, life and work will go on just the same."

The second part of today’s Gospel continues the banquet theme, but this time our Lord directs his attention to the host, and the advice he gives is not something we’re likely to find in Emily Post or Miss Manners. Here, Jesus tells those who throw a party to invite guests who will never be able to repay their generosity: "the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." This may not be the world’s idea of proper social behavior, but it’s an etiquette that befits a child of God. Why? Because this is precisely what God has done for us. If he invited to his heavenly banquet only those who could repay him, not a single soul here today could ever hope to go, and his banquet hall would be quite empty. Instead, he calls to his banquet table those who really have no business there—those who could never repay him—namely, me and you. Therefore, the generosity we practice must be modeled after that of our Blessed Lord: it must be the natural expression of humble and selfless love—the kind of love which prompted God to give up his only Son for our salvation; the kind of love which compelled our Savior to embrace the Cross.

This brings us back to our Lord’s instruction on humility. If we are truly humble—with the humility of Christ—then we will be filled with love for our neighbor because there will be no self-love to get in the way. And we will be eager to give to those in need without counting the cost. And if we all possessed this virtue of humility, think of how much happier our lives would be in this world and how much more certain our place would be in the world to come.

Listen once again to the wisdom of Sirach in today’s first reading:

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 wise man’s joy.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor

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