Blessed are the meek and humble...

In the Jewish culture, the meal is of great importance – it is a symbol of the Kingdom of God, it is an expression of intimacy, and an occasion to recognize each other’s worth and importance as persons.

Jesus was invited to a party, and he could not take the prevailing wrongful attitude and practice. And so he took the occasion to teach.

1) Jesus first noticed that the guests all wanted to be at the place of honor, and so he related a parable (Lk 14, 8-11):

"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, `Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, `My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Jesus reverses their usual understanding. They thought that their place in social functions determines their worth in the community, that how they are regarded by other people determines their importance. On the contrary, Jesus teaches, that these have nothing to do with the real worth and importance of anybody. One priest put it well:

The only status that counts is one's relationship with God and how one relates with other people, irrespective of their classification by race, religion, profession or class. Our real status is measured not by our rank or occupation but by the level of love and service offered to God through our relationships with those around us. What counts is not how we are looked on by others but the degree of care and compassion with which we look at them. This calls for a strong inner security, which is independent of arbitrarily conferred status or position.

2) Jesus also noticed that those who were at the party were always of the same group – those that they invite are those who could invite them in return. And so he related another parable (Lk 14, 12-14):

"When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Jesus recognized that the people actually invited each other, to serve their own personal agenda. Sadly though, since a meal in the Jewish culture is a sign of the Kingdom of God. But they have denigrated it to a self-serving affair, a ritual of status-recognition, and a show of position and influence. That is why people who think of themselves as important would wish to be seated at the best places. And that is why those who throw a party invite people who could and would reciprocate the invitation, so that the former could also sit at a privileged place in the party of the latter – something like, scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours – a show-off charade. Plainly, they used each other, to further their status and influence in the community.

Unfortunately, such attitude and practice are prevalent not only in Jesus’ time, but also in ours. We recognize how people (we?) use each other to further our selfish gains. We recognize how we manipulate people to fulfill our ambitions.

One priest illustrates this creatively – are we a ladder community, or a round table community? In a ladder, we turn our backs against each other, we occupy positions and rise in rank, and maybe even, when we wish to go higher, we have to step over another. In a round table setting, we see each other face to face, recognizing each other’s unique person and inviolable dignity, and we genuinely interact.

At the base of it all, Jesus teaches us the virtue of humility. We can only recognize our own true worth and value in humility. We can only recognize and serve each other’s true worth and value, in humility. Let us pray for humility – it is such a difficult virtue, but indeed a necessary one – it is like a glass being empty – it is only then that God can fill it with his loving and life-giving grace. A thought I overheard could be a fitting conclusion to our reflection:

Humility is not thinking less of yourself than you are. Nor is humility always talking about your faults and shortcomings as compared with anyone else's superiority and achievements. Humility is simply the recognition of the truth about ourselves; and then most often, a forgetfulness of self that allows genuine concern for others and a genuine worship of God.

The first reading reminds us:

The greater you are, the more you should humble yourself and thus you will find favor with God. For great is the power of the Lord and it is the humble who give him glory.

Have a blessed Sunday.