Take the Lowest Place

Take the Lowest Place

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

For to me, life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you.  Philippians 1:21-25A

[W]hen you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."  Luke 14:10-11

Piety

St. Teresa of Avila expressed the range of emotions people affected by the natural or man-made disasters are feeling this week.  Maybe you know someone affected by Hurricane Florence or Hurricane Michael. 

When St. Teresa was traveling, her cart tipped, spilling her into a muddy stream. Soaked and irritated, Teresa looked to heaven and cried, "God, if this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them!"  However, she also knew that God was not merely a distant ruler, but an everyday friend.  In fact, a poem found on her desk after her death reads, "Be not perplexed, be not afraid, everything passes, God does not change... He who has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices."

Let our prayer be for those displaced and injured this week: May they not be perplexed by anything except the outpouring of love that they encounter. 

Study

Christ has one step for the humble.  The Benedictine Rule lays it out in 12 steps.  Either way, Christianity requires humility.

The Rule of St. Benedict has a lot to say about humility. “RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict,” edited by Timothy Fry, O.S.B. and published by The Liturgical Press in Collegeville, Minnesota is 96 pages cover-to-cover. Discounting the preface, the actual translated Rule is 82 pages. The chapter on humility is the longest of the 73 chapters in the Rule. It is preceded by two chapters on the steps to humility: unhesitating obedience and restraint of speech. Ten pages -- or more than 10 percent (a tithe) -- of the entire Rule is devoted to teaching about the importance of Christ-like humility.

The Rule also may be the world’s first twelve-step program because Benedict enumerates twelve stages of humility which are developed from the starting point in today’s Gospel from St. Luke.

Faith is what determines the place we have at the banquet of the Lord.  Despite how our actions betray that faith or take it for granted, the Lord never turns away from us.  The greater our faith, the easier it might be to take the humble position at the foot of the table.  For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable no matter where we are seated.

Israel long held the honored place at the banquet of the Lord. However, they were not living up to that privilege.  Therefore, the notes from the New American Bible tell us, “In God’s design, Israel’s unbelief is being used to grant the light of faith to the Gentiles. Meanwhile, Israel remains dear to God, still the object of special providence, the mystery of which will one day be revealed.”

Even though they went to a lower position, they remained favored by God.  “Although Israel has been unfaithful to the prophetic message of the gospel, God remains faithful to Israel. Proof of the divine fidelity lies in the existence of Jewish Christians like Paul himself. The unbelieving Jews, says Paul, have been blinded by the Christian teaching concerning the Messiah.”

St. Paul knew that in death, he would ascend to a place of honor.  However, until he gained heaven, he was contented to continue to serve the Lord on earth by preaching the Good News.

Action

Turning over our lives to God – easier typed and read that resolved and fulfilled – is the ultimate aim of all Christians. Humility matters for practicing the spiritual life. Our call is to turn away from our selfish desires by putting on the mantle of humility. From here, we need the perseverance granted by the Holy Spirit to remain balanced on this difficult ladder.

“Humility Matters” is the title of the third volume in a trilogy of books on spirituality by Sr. Mary Margaret "Meg" Funk, O.S.B. Sr. Meg writes, “God is patient, gentle, meek, and humble of heart. We are created in God’s image and are invited to live in God’s likeness.” She encourages us to accept this invitation as the desert mothers and fathers have done before us and then “give yourself years to live into these teachings.”