28 August 2022
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel Jesus uses the dinner invitation from the chief Pharisee as a point of departure for me to examine my conscience on being his true follower.
He reminds me that sometimes an invited guest will try to get the most honored place at table. But in life it is better to choose the lowest place, so as to be invited to fill the highest.
In other words, an essential condition for me to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is to consider myself of no account – if I am honest that should not be hard to do; the people I live with can help me – in order for the Lord to call me to true greatness, not the greatness I envision for myself.
In giving this advice to me, as one of his chosen guests, Jesus reminds me that true love is universal because it is freely given to all guests. In other words, Jesus’ love for all is not restricted. He alone can teach me that genuine love is not selfish or ego-centered.
True love is not conditional, and to pay attention only to those who demonstrate love me is not true love either.
Resolve: In a spirit of thanksgiving for this lesson, I’ll ask the one, who put it into practice perfectly himself, where and how I should follow the directions he gives me to obtain what he wants for me and for what he wants me to do for him. Isn’t that true love?