Meek and Humble………

Gospel. Lk. 14: 1, 7- 14.

Through the parable of the banquet Jesus teaches the Pharisees to be humble and avoid taking positions of honor and higher places. Jesus also advises them to be generous and charitable when they give alms.

Reflection.

Today’s readings invite us to be meek and humble so that the Lord would be glorified in and through us. This meekness should come from our inner self so that it would be true and genuine. The external could be a show off or a fake. That is why it should come from within. For it is in the heart; the inner thoughts; the genuiness that matters. The Lord blesses those who are meek and humble. Not only the Lord even the world respects and glorifies those who are meek and humble. This is very evident in today’s readings.

The first reading advices us to be meek and humble. Accordingly the greater we are, the humble we should be. We will then be loved by those whom God accepts. It says that the afflictions of the proud will have no healing, as a plant of wickedness has taken root in him. Everything that is in us and everything that has come our way is a gift of God and therefore let us not be proud but rather be simple.

This simplicity or meekness should come from our inner selves so that our whole being would contain this nature. For it is the inner self that matters a lot. That is why God made the new covenant an internal one, so that obedience to it would come from within.

According to the second reading the old covenant was external and could be touched; a blazing fire, darkness and gloom, a tempest and a sound of trumpet and a voice which made the hearers entreat that no further messages be spoken to them but new covenant is alive and there is constant union with the Lord. For, he is the mediator of this new covenant. We should be meek and humble not only before the Lord but even before men. This is clearly shown in the Gospel parable when Jesus advices His listeners not to choose the best seats at the marriage feast. As he says, when a greater person arrives he might be asked to occupy a lower seat. Whereas, if one occupies the lower place, he will be asked to occupy a higher place. And thus be honored before all those present. The Gospel says for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted. “Even when it comes to invite people for a dinner or a banquet the reading advices us to invite the poor, the mimed, the lame and the blind for they cannot repay; whereas our friends, brothers, kinsmen or rich neighbors will repay us back in a similar way. The reading invites us to be genuine when it comes to our being charitable and sharing and the readings say, “you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just,” Then and only then you will be blessed.

Aid Story.

In America a party of men, under the charge of a Corporal were hard at work unloading a wagon of wood. There were not enough men for the job and when presently a passer by stopped and spoke to the corporal and the latter grumbled about the difficulty of six men being expected to do the work of ten. “Why don’t you lend a hand yourself then?” the stranger enquired. “Me,” said the corporal indignantly. “I’m the corporal.” The stranger said no more, but took off his coat and set to work to help with the unloading; when it was done he put his coat and went on his way.

Later the corporal learnt that his voluntary assistant had been non other than George Washington, the President of the United States of America.

Aid Story 2.

Before appointing a commissioner to the Indians, it was reported, Abraham Lincoln called on the Senators Ben Wade and Daniel Vorhees for advice and explained what kind of man he wanted for the post. “Gentlemen.” He said, “For an Indian Commissioner, I want a pure-minded, moral, Christian man – frugal and self- sacrificing.” “I think,” said Vorhees, “that you won’t find him.” “Why not?” asked Lincoln. “Because, Mr. President,” said Vorhees. “He was crucified about 1800 years ago.”

Fr. Ciswan De Croos.