Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Musical Chairs_090119

Deacon Tom Writes,

Musical Chairs

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

The image Jesus often uses to describe the Kingdom of God is that of a banquet.  Today is a good example.  Jesus is invited to a dinner party by one of the leading Pharisees.  The Gospel opens by saying that … “people were observing him”.    That’s an interesting use of words since what it really means is that “everybody” was watching Him.  That’s because Jesus is the outsider.  He is the one that is not one of them.  These other guests make up the power elite that keeps the system working …for them and to suit their purposes.   Jesus is well aware of this and in turn He is observing them as well. 

It is easy for Jesus to recognize the dynamics at work as the guest begin to be seated.  Everyone wants the best seat in the house… at the head table.  We can imagine many people lunging for few seats, an ancient version of “musical chairs”…. with or without the music. Jesus completely understands that getting some form of recognition, even if it is only a better seat than someone else, is an absolute necessity for an immature and self-absorbed ego.  And so, perhaps as the dinner guests are working their way to the head table, Jesus gives them a lesson on humility, on what it means to have a healthy, mature and appropriate understanding of who we are. 

When we have this understanding about ourselves, Jesus teaches, only then are we are able to enjoy genuine guest parties, where we invite our friends regardless of their ability reciprocate. We are able to enjoy one another’s company because we no longer have to put ourselves above them or compete with them to satisfy our egos.

The table fellowship that Jesus envisioned He has passed on to us in the gift of the Eucharist. Here at the table of the Lord we share in the Body and Blood of Christ and we become one in Him, putting aside all that divides us… race, color, economic status, everything, even our pride and our egos.  We come to the table of the Lord as we are… broken, sorrowful, hungry and longing to be nourished, healed and forgiven; and, we are humbled to discover that at God’s table…… there are plenty of seats for everyone!

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

A Spirit of Humility

Deacon Tom Writes,

“A Spirit Of Humility”

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

The Sacred Writer of the Book of Sirach tells us that practicing the virtue of humility draws us closer to God. Why is that? We learn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that humility is the foundation of prayer, and prayer places our hearts and minds in the presence of God. Indeed, God becomes our companion on the journey of life when we develop a sincere prayer life. In the quiet solitude of prayer we come to know God, grow in love for the divine indwelling, and come to realize that we are intimately and eternally one with God.

What a good place to be – in the presence of God, and to find his favor. In prayer we seek God’s guidance and seek the spiritual courage to follow the movement of the spirit within us to bring God’s love, mercy, and compassion to everyone we meet in the course of the day. In order to make room for God in our lives, though, we have to give up something very near and dear to us, we have to give up some of our own free will, a bit of our egos and our self absorbed way of thinking and behaving. 

To fill that void we create in letting go of our “false self’ as Thomas Merton calls it, God endows us with the divine Spirit of Humility to complete us. The Spirit of Humility gives us the desire to serve God rather than our own selfish interests. If we do not stifle this Spirit of Humility, it will guide us to serve God in just the way that God desires to be served.

Jesus tries to explain the Spirit of Humility in today’s gospel. See, left to ourselves our pride or egos will seek self gratification at every opportunity. We will take the best seat in the house, the bowl with the most ice cream in it (chocolate, double fudge, please…); we will want to reserve the cream of the crop for ourselves. In the example Jesus shares with us today, he tells us that our mindset needs adjusting. We need to rearrange our thinking to allow others to go first, to let someone else have the place of privilege, to let the weak and lame share in the glories of life. These actions do not come naturally to us. We have to learn to learn them by practicing virtuous living.

Furthermore, we can’t overcome our selfish tendencies by ourselves, If we desire to grow in virtue and become more spiritually mature, we need help from above. If we truly ask for God’s help, Jesus will place within our hearts the divine Spirit of Humility that will enable us to follow in his footsteps by loving and serving others as he did and living a virtuous life.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image by: bowlishgallery.co.uk