(Sir.3:17-18,20,28-29; Ps.68:4-7,10-11; Heb.12:18-19,22-24a; Lk.14:1,7-14) "Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God." Is this not the message of Jesus' parable in today's gospel, and indeed of all our readings – and indeed the essence of our Christian lives? "Take the lowest place." Exalt not yourself in the sight of God, who sits at table with you, whose presence is everywhere, and is a guest far greater than you. Give your place to the poor, provide for them out of your means, as He has done, and then you will know the glorious vision of heaven where He dwells. The Pharisees are blind to the presence of Jesus; because of their pride and desire for esteem, they cannot see the guest of honor in their midst. They observe Him carefully, ready to judge Him, but it is He who sees them and seeks to instruct them in their ignorance. The Lord is most out of place here among the proud. He looks around for lowly ones, but finds none. The poor have not been invited to this feast; the blind here do not recognize their need for Him… and so this banquet is not like that of heaven. And so, who of these will partake of His Body and Blood and come to "the heavenly Jerusalem"? "God gives a home to the forsaken," David declares in our psalm, and we are called to be like God. Jesus makes this quite evident in His instruction to the host of the banquet: "Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind," who are unable to repay such kindness, and then "you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." This attitude of self-giving we must make our own, knowing our own lowliness in the sight of God, and the vision of heaven of which our second reading speaks will be ours as well. Then we will come with the "countless angels in festal gathering" and "the assembly of the firstborn" into the presence of Jesus and the holy blood of His sacrifice. "The just rejoice and exult before God," and with them we too shall rejoice, if we make ourselves humble before Him. It is no mystery that "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." No, the teaching is clear, and only by living it will we find its fruit, brothers and sisters. "My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts," Sirach instructs us; for how can you find favor with God (or with anyone) if you have no respect for Him? And if you do not see the greatness of the God before you, how shall you enter His kingdom? Our place before God is with faces to the ground. This is just. This is right. By this He will be pleased and so lift our heads to gaze upon His countenance. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "The Humbled and the Exalted" from All One, sixth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, help us always to take the lowest place, that you might call us up to you. YHWH, you give a home to the forsaken and call us to do the same; as you have provided for our needy souls – though we deserved it not – so you call us to care for others, or we shall not find our place with you. We are truly lowly, dear God, for before you, who could stand? How can we hope to sit at the same table as your only Son and partake of the food He provides? Yet to His side He calls us; to be lowly as He is our great gift. His grace we shall know, and in abundance, if with Him we lay down our lives for those in need. Then we shall come to your holy mountain, to the heavenly Jerusalem with all your angels and saints. Washed in the blood of the Lamb you offer for our sakes, emptied of all the vanity of our race, we shall be exalted and chant your praise, dearest LORD, we who have made ourselves humble and lowly before you, we who have thus found our place at your table with Jesus, and been made perfect by His Cross.