Lk. 14:1, 7-14
“Remain humble, remain simple, the more you are so, the more good you will do…” (St. John Maria Vianney)
The disciples of Jesus should stand apart from others through their witness and the values they uphold in their lives. Today’s gospel passage takes us to the scene where Jesus and his disciples are invited for the meal. When Jesus notices people choosing the most prominent place at the table, he teaches them a new way to be his disciple in the world. When they are invited to the marriage, choose the lowest place rather than the most prominent place, and they will be honoured. Jesus wants his followers to make this kind of humble attitude a regular part of their lives.
When Jesus says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Lk.14:11) It is not a mere exhortation to appear humble, but rather an invitation to grow into his own personality, especially the self-emptying love(Kenosis) that he practiced in his incarnation. In the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, we see Paul presenting the humility and self-emptying love of Jesus. “Though he existed in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness and being found in appearance as a human. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him.” (Philippians 2: 6-8) His Abba bestows the highest honour on him because of his self-emptying and self-giving love. “Therefore, God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name given to Jesus, every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Philip. 2: 9-11) Thus, Jesus allowed himself to be a grain of wheat and died to himself in order to give life. This selfless love and profound humility brought him the highest honour and glory.
In the first reading, we read from the book of Sirach: “My child, perform your tasks with humility; then you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favour in the sight of the Lord.” (Sir. 3:17-18) It is our attitude of being humble that helps us to find favour in the presence of the Lord. Being humble is the conscious choice that we need to make each and every moment of our life. The Blessed Mother is the paragon model of being humble in front of the Lord. Though it was her basic disposition, she had to make a conscious choice to grow and deepen her humility. In her hymn of Magnificat, she acknowledges it: “For he has looked with favour on the lowly state of his servant.” (Lk. 1:48) Every act of humility that a person performs is dying to one’s own ego. At times, we may have to struggle with our ego to place ourselves at the service of our brethren.
In the second part of the gospel, Jesus adds another attitude that we need to grow into day by day; it is of unconditional love and service. It is a natural human tendency to expect something in return for everything that we do. In the context of this parable, Jesus makes himself clear that when you conduct a banquet, invite those who cannot give you anything in return, then you will find a reward in the life to come.
Apparently, these two instructions of Jesus to be humble and love unconditionally seem to be easy. However, our life experiences teach us that it is not easy. Like Jesus, the blessed mother, and all the saints, we need to allow ourselves to be emptied of our own selves, selfish motives such as our need for recognition, praise, and glory. Added to this, we need to be rooted in our love by purifying our motivation to love and raising it to the realm of unconditional love. Being and becoming a person of unconditional love is a life-long task. When we love others like Christ, for the sake of loving them, our discipleship should be effective and the world should experience Christ through our presences.