Every gift expects a gift in return!

August 31, 2025 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 
Daily Readings: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) is a Jewish wisdom book from the 2nd century BCE. The historical situation of the people of Israel in Alexandria demanded a book of this kind. During the Hellenistic period, when cultural and religious belief systems were undergoing tremendous changes, this book served as a torchbearer. As a book of wisdom, it offers ethical teachings and advice on various aspects of life as well as many theological themes. Today’s text focuses on the virtue of humility.

The world often looks at humility as weakness, but Sirach teaches that true greatness lies in being humble. A tree or plant bends under the weight of its fruit. Similarly, a tree that bends with the wind survives, while a stiff, unbending tree puts pressure on its trunk and roots and runs the risk of being uprooted. Great people are like fruit-laden trees, humble and simple in their approach. Such people find favor in the sight of the Lord. Verse 29 explains why we should listen to God and His word: “The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise.”

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews draws a striking comparison between the Israelites’ experience at Mount Sinai and the Christians’ experience at Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. At Mount Sinai, the Israelites encountered a theophany (a revelation of God) accompanied by blazing fire, darkness, gloom, and tempest. The arrival of God was marked by a trumpet blast and His voice speaking to Moses. In contrast, the experience at Mount Zion is one of joy, for it is the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, where countless angels gather for the feast. God is seated as the judge of all, surrounded by the spirits of the righteous made perfect. Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, and His blood speaks a better word than the blood of innocent Abel. Today’s second reading encourages believers to persevere in their faith, for access to God has been made possible through this new covenant.

On a personal note, when I am given a group photograph, my normal tendency is to look for myself and how I appear. Similarly, when I attend a seminar or conference and see a list of participants, I naturally look for familiar names or those connected to me. The “I” is always important, something to be noticed and appreciated. This is a normal tendency, perhaps even a cultural one. Yet Jesus proposes a counter-culture where the “I” does not take center stage.

When a leader of the Pharisees invited Jesus to his house, it was a public gesture of respect, acknowledging Him as a rabbi. A meal was a place of honor, often reserved for people of similar status. In those days, banquets were generally attended by guests of equal social rank. On that Sabbath day, Jesus was closely observed, with many expecting Him to do something against the law. What seemed like an “honor invitation” was in fact filled with hypocrisy.

Jesus responded with a parable. A humble person, satisfied with a lower seat, would wait for the host to invite him to a higher place of honor. This cultural norm was well known to the Pharisees, who nonetheless loved to claim the best seats at banquets (cf. Matthew 23:6). Seeing this, Jesus declared: “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (v. 11). He then turned to the host and advised him to invite the anawim of Yahweh: the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. They cannot repay the favor, but precisely in such cases the reward is certain, in heaven.

Call to Action: In a world that constantly seeks rewards, recognition, and appreciation, what do I seek? How do my approach and lifestyle reflect true humility?