TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Also Read: Mass Readings for 28 August 2022 Homily for 28 August 2022 – Sunday
First Reading: Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29
17 My child, perform your tasks with humility; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts.
Today’s reading fits exactly like an antidote to depression, anxiety, and clogged minds! The prime among all virtues is humility and it is so beautifully praised here. The reason why humility is praised also is given –one is appreciated by those whom God accepts. Therefore, do not be alarmed when you are not accepted everywhere! But by our humility, our relationships are healed, our hearts are soothed and our minds are renewed.
20 For great is the might of the Lord; but by the humble he is glorified.
This is such a vast and incomprehensible statement for the human mind! How do we begin to imagine the might of the Lord being glorified by the humble? One is instantly reminded of Mother Teresa of Calcutta! Her life personified humility! At a recent homily I heard, we were asked why in a time when vocations to the religious life in India is at an all-time low, The Missionaries of Charity do not lack in this area?! The answer provided by the priest was that “they practice what they preach!” Our humility is seen in our actions not just in our words!
29 The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise.
Tested against this statement, we will know where we stand!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 68: 4-7, 10-11
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds-
his name is the Lord— be exultant before him.
Second Reading: Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24
18 You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
We are here because we have been called and set apart! We do not need paganist practices to reveal the word of God in our hearts, but we live in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living. We live through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.
Amen!
Gospel: Luke 14: 1, 7-14
13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
At the beginning of the gospel today, Jesus speaks about humility being glorified! But how should we allow this virtue to govern our actions? Christ speaks of inviting “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.” In today’s world, we could find the poor in spirit, the crippled in heart toward us, the lame in attitude, and the blind in minds! To open our homes and hearts to them, we will actively need to exercise humility. This is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. He is the Father of Peace and Wisdom and in his goodness guides us. May we bend our Will to his bidding.
Amen!
