Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 31, 2025 - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14]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. [Sirach] "For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." [Luke]
"Just who do you think you are?" This question is often asked in the context of challenging someone whose behavior offends us! But it is a good question to ask anytime. A statement attributed to St. Francis of Assisi says: "My God! Who are you? And who am I?"
In Jesus' day, there were formal and informal levels of society (something that continues in various societies today.) At a banquet, where one sat was an indication of one's social status. Anyone who tried to "get above him-or-herself" would be soon brought down. In oriental cultures there is a line that says, "The nail that stands out gets hammered down!" One reason Jesus' own townsfolk rejected him was that they thought he was "getting above himself" by claiming: "Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing!" [Luke 4:21]
True humility is not an exercise in self-abasement. It is a recognition that everything we have of true worth is a gift from God to be developed for the good of others and not just for oneself. [1 Cor. 4:7] There are times when one must be "self-assertive" in order to prevent real harm, and not just to a bruised ego. Self-promotion should be an offer to serve and not to be served. The story in today's gospel scripture about guests at a banquet jockeying for "places of honor" is a reminder from Jesus about all of this. Our worth in the sight of God should be our worth in the sight of others. We may not always receive the "recognition" we think we "deserve" from others. But we will receive a true recognition from God. Learning what that recognition is can be the source of true humility. Saying "Thank you!" for that recognition is a first step! AMEN