Walking with Jesus: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, August 31, 2025

Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24; Luke 14:1, 7-14


At first glance, today’s themes talk to us about being humble, realizing that our lives are a gift from God. Underneath there is a deeper insight into our actions in responding to God’s gifts to each of us. I’m gifted — you’re gifted. We look at our basic gifts: sight, hearing, speech, taste, feeling, smell. Then we explore how these gifts have influenced our memory, understanding, imagination and dreams for the future, and the development of our personalities and relationships. We should start with a basic question: How grateful am I to God for these unique gifts He has blessed me with? Have I abused them more than using them gratefully? Why? How have my actions influenced my relationship with my loving God? The readings today describe the attitude we should have when we give and when we receive. Am I developing humility and gratitude and a desire to spread the extravagant generosity of God’s giftedness to me? At this point I highly recommend a fabulous book by Franciscan theological scholar Sr. Ilia Delio entitled The Humility of God: A Franciscan Perspective. She portrays beautifully how St. Francis of Assisi experienced Christ as Messiah, thereby cultivating humility and connection rather than power and anger. Is my God a punishing and fear-demanding God, or a God of love, caring and forgiveness? How do people in my life observe my God?

Sirach gives a short lesson on humility, starting with “my child” … which could be a title of affection, as teacher to student … so love, teaching, and advice would be the motive for humility. But there seems to be more motivation — a greater motivation because God is involved in this: Humility finds favor with God. The advice that is given is not meant for those who are humble in the eyes of the community like the poor and the homeless; rather, it implies that as one’s status improves, one’s humility should increase as well. My dad would use a phrase that poked fun at this philosophy: “I used to be proud, but now I don’t have any faults.” This isn’t humility — this is being too stuck on oneself. There is no humility. Do I feel that I know all about God, and that other people don’t have a clue as to what God is about? Well, these people have never heard of God. How often have I hidden my God from others? Is this pride? Sirach understood humility to be the logical outcome of recognizing one’s human limitations relative to God’s awesome grandeur. The Jewish teaching held that human beings must accept their place as creatures before God’s status as Creator. Am I consumed with pride over status or accomplishments, separating myself from God who deserves all the credit for my gifts and blessings? That's a wonderful daily reflection.

Paul examines ancient Israel’s experience of God on Mt. Sinai when He forms His covenant with the people: “I will be your God, you will be my people.” They will keep this covenant by following the Commandments: by committing acts that show how they love in their daily interactions with each other and all peoples. So how are the Hebrews to view their God after experiencing what God is like in Jesus? God is love. At Mt. Sinai, the people are not to come too close — in fact they are forbidden to do so, and this discourages them. But the Transfiguration encounter with God is a festive event showing God’s glory which will be sealed in His suffering, death, resurrection and the sending of the Spirit on Pentecost — so the followers can live love, be love, and share love.

The Gospel scene takes place during dinner on the Sabbath at one of the leading Pharisee’s homes. Now Sabbath dinners are occasions for inviting guests who are not family members, which explains Jesus’ presence. Such gatherings are times for theological discussions and, in this case, an opportunity for the religious leaders to test Jesus’ orthodoxy. This would have been of great interest to Pharisees, who believe in resurrection. (The Sadducees don’t.) Jesus, who is being watched closely, gives two ethical directives — one for the guests and one for the host. He shows how “seemingly important” it is to have the place of honor at this banquet — an inference to who will have the place of honor in heaven. (Do I just want to sneak in? Or get there? Or be the important one? Is it all about me, or God — and love?) Jesus does not criticize the place-of-honor custom; rather, He finds fault with the arrogant attitude of those who think they are more important than they really are. Jesus criticizes the host’s practice of inviting people to the banquet who are able to reciprocate in kind, because there is no generosity in giving only to those who are able to return the favor. What about the poor — those in need — those who can in no way advance their sense of honor? What is honorable behavior? What kind of behavior will be required at the resurrection? How am I responding?

So I reflect on:

• I think of some areas in my life where a little humility might have spared me and others some negative emotions. What’s the message for me?
• Where were the times I gladly would have given up my seat? How can I shape my life counter-culturally, as Jesus says, around God’s reign?

Sacred Space 2025 states:

“‘The greatest among you must be the servant of all. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.’ Do I seek to be honored by people instead of by God? The opinions of people about us will always be varied and, in the end, they simply don’t matter.

“‘Lord, teach me to be generous, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to labor and not to look for any rewards save that of knowing that I do Your will.’ [St. Ignatius]”