22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time / C
29/08/2010
Luke 14, 7-14 (p. 468)
this Sunday's Gospel shows us Jesus participating in a meal. It would be interesting to note in the Gospels every meal which the Lord has participated until the final meal of the Last Supper, by which he instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist. We could also meet all the parables that feature a feast. The meal of our Gospel is not ordinary: it is the Sabbath, a feast, a sacred meal, and it does not unfold in a man 'any' but with an important person, a leader of the Pharisees A "great" of the religious society of the time. On the occasion of the meal, the Lord was wont to teach. He did not do so in the manner of an academic course but starting from concrete situations. Here he observes the guests and noted that they choose the best seats first. It is from this simple observation that Lord will teach us through a parable. If we do not take account of its conclusion ("Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, who humbles himself will be high"), this dish is actually a teaching of human wisdom, common sense and even somewhere human calculation. Besides Jesus invents nothing. The wisdom tradition of the Old Testament had already given similar advice in the book of Proverbs: "Do not be important to the king, do not put yourself in the midst of the great, better to be told: 'Monte here! " than to see you lowered in the presence of the prince. " We note that this Human wisdom has nothing to do with humility, but instead a clever calculation we act so that our pride is not hurt. In the wisdom what motivates our choice it is our first interest. In this context "the condition of the proud is without remedy." This tactical wisdom does not cure our pride, on the contrary it strengthens the guise of false humility. Jesus gives a decidedly new meaning to this traditional teaching by the conclusion of the parable: "Who shall be abased; who humbles himself will be high." It also reminds us of what we heard last Sunday: "There are last who will be first, and first who will be last." So yes this parable may be an exhortation to cultivate the virtue of humility. Under absolutely necessary for the person who wants to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. For pride, we know, is the cardinal sin, and probably the original sin: "The condition of the proud is no remedy, because the root of evil is in him." With Jesus we finally have a remedy for our pride, we have the means to uproot this root in us, the origin of evil. How? By a love more intense and true to Christ, meek and humble of heart, and his mother Mary and our mother, humble servant of the Lord. The extent to which we really love Jesus and Mary that we desire to imitate them. And therefore we allow ourselves to grow in the virtue of humility. While all of these cases first or last place will seem quite ridiculous compared to the treasure we have gained, that of a humble soul and unified. Humility is indeed a valuable treasure because it is the truth. Humility is not humiliation, though sometimes we must go through the humiliation of the cross to be released from our pride. Humility is simply the truth, the truth about ourselves and our relationship with God. Is to remember that we are creatures dependent on God, mortal creatures. Pride is a thread by which the tempter catch us lying to us, making us believe that we are absolutely autonomous beings, immortal beings. The Christian who is moving in the true Wisdom of Jesus Christ, can no longer be caught by these lies and illusions. It is no longer a slave to lust so well described by St. John: Everything is in the world, the selfish desires of human nature, the desires of the eyes, pride of wealth-all this comes not from the Father but from the world. Yet the world with its desires is disappearing. But he who does the will of God abides forever.
The last part of our Gospel on the invitation to dinner was a link with what we have to meditate. Jesus asks us to act and not free from interest, to get something in return. As we have noted, if we just take the last place in a meal just to keep our pride is hurt, we are not in humility but we do indeed in view of our interest. In fact there is a big difference between human wisdom and that of Jesus Christ. Human wisdom advises us the ability, action calculator for our interest. Divine wisdom requires us to be in truth what we are: creatures, loved and redeemed by Jesus. Imitate Jesus means giving up the calculation for free love and joy. It will give and give by accepting that this may involve lowering. He who is humble is always happy place it is the last or first. He is perfectly free purified because of jealousy and pride.
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