Homily For This Sunday - 31st August 2025

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In today's Gospel, we find Jesus at a dinner party, observing something we've all witnessed: people jockeying for position, seeking the places of honor. It's a scene that plays out not just at ancient banquets but in our modern lives as well - in our workplaces, social circles, even sometimes in our parish communities.

Jesus uses this ordinary social situation to teach an extraordinary spiritual lesson about humility - a virtue that appears in all three of our readings today. The Book of Sirach tells us, "My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts." The Letter to the Hebrews contrasts the fearsome mountain of the Old Covenant with the joyful mountain of the New Covenant where we find Jesus. And in the Gospel, Jesus teaches about taking the lowest place at the banquet.

But what exactly is humility? It's often misunderstood. Humility isn't thinking less of yourself; it's thinking of yourself less. It isn't denying your gifts or talents; it's recognizing that they come from God. True humility is truth - seeing ourselves as we truly are before God: beloved, gifted, yet dependent creatures in need of His grace.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, the great Doctor of the Church, defined humility as "keeping oneself within one's own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's superior." Humility means living in reality - not pretending to be more than we are, nor degrading ourselves to be less than God made us.

In the first reading, Sirach teaches us that humility brings us favor with both God and neighbor: "Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God." This ancient wisdom reveals a paradox at the heart of our faith: the path to true greatness lies in humility. We see this most perfectly in Jesus Christ, who, as Saint Paul tells us, "humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8).

Our Gospel presents two dimensions of humility. First, Jesus advises guests not to take places of honor lest they be humiliated when asked to move down. Instead, he suggests taking the lowest place so that the host might say, "My friend, move up to a higher position." This isn't just clever social strategy - it's spiritual wisdom. When we humble ourselves before God, He exalts us in due time.

But Jesus doesn't stop there. He goes deeper, addressing the hosts themselves: "When you hold a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors... Rather, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Here, Jesus challenges us to practice radical hospitality - to give without expectation of return, to love without calculation.

This teaching strikes at the heart of our human tendency toward what Pope Francis calls the "economy of exchange" - I give so that you will give back. Jesus invites us instead to participate in God's "economy of gift" - giving freely as God gives to us, especially to those who cannot repay.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that "Jesus makes charity the new commandment" (CCC 1823). This charity isn't just warm feelings but concrete actions of love, particularly toward those society overlooks or marginalizes. When we practice this kind of selfless love, Jesus promises, "Blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Brothers and sisters, as we prepare to receive Christ in the Eucharist, we encounter the ultimate example of humility. The God of the universe makes Himself small enough to be held in our hands, to enter our bodies as simple bread and wine. At every Mass, Jesus takes "the lowest place" out of love for us. The One who deserves all glory and honor comes to us not in terrifying power like at Mount Sinai, but in gentle humility.

This Eucharist we're about to celebrate is the banquet Jesus describes in today's Gospel. Here, the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind - which in spiritual terms describes all of us - are welcomed to the table of the Lord. Here, there is no jockeying for position because all are equally in need of God's mercy. Here, Christ Himself serves us, giving us His very Body and Blood.

As we approach the altar today, let us examine our hearts. Where do we seek the places of honor in our lives? Where do we calculate what we'll get in return for what we give? Where do we exclude those who are different from our tables of fellowship?

And let us pray for the grace of true humility - to see ourselves as we truly are before God, to serve without seeking recognition, and to welcome others as Christ welcomes us. For "whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

May God bless us all, and grant us the grace to be truly humble.