2022-Aug-28: Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time

 2022-Aug-28: Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time

 


Opening prayer Litany of Humility

    Author: Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Charity
Charity is patient, is kind; charity does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked; thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices with the truth, bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
To have Charity is to love God above all things for Himself and be ready to renounce all created things rather than offend Him by serious sin. ( Matt. 22:36-40)

The theme of the liturgy 

Humility - those who wish to be first in the Kingdom of Heaven must be last in this world that places prestige in world values

Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach, is believed to have written this book between 200–175 BC. The book of Sirach possesses a wealth of varied expressions of wise and foolish behavior reminiscent of the book of Proverbs. 
Sirach 31:12-18 warns of being greedy and advises being deferential at such meals. Today's passage from Sirach on humility is echoed in the Magnificat: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; or he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Lk 1:46-53). 

Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11

The title of this psalm is To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song. Commentators have remarked this is one of the most difficult Psalms in the Psalter due to its composition. David penned Psalm 68 probably when God having given him rest from all his enemies round about, he brought the ark (which was both the token of God's presence and a type of Christ's mediation) from the house of Obed-edom to the tent he had pitched for it in Jerusalem, celebrating not only that event, but also the faithfulness of God to give Israel victory over her enemies and to make Jerusalem secure enough to bring the ark into the city.

Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a

The scene depicted here simply overwhelms the senses - too much for the eye and the ear to behold - with burning fire, darkness, gloom, windstorm, the noise of trumpets and words being spoken. Like the Jews pleading with Moses to be their mediator rather than have to deal directly with God - they felt Mount Sinai was untouchable so now the author says this new Zion is not only approachable by touchable (Greek pselaphow). The righteous ones form an assembly (Greek ekklesia) consisting of firstborns (resurrected people) who have been registered in heaven. This notion of writing echoes the New Covenant where God has written his laws on the hearts of his people (Hebrews 8:10; 10:16)
The reference to Jesus and his blood at the end is what allows all the righteous to approach God the judge as perfect, firstborn (resurrected) children. By comparing Jesus’ blood with that of Abel, the author unites his entire discourse, from Hebrews 11:1 to 12:24. 


Luke 14:1, 7-14

Today's passage is the 3rd time when Jesus accepts an invitation of a Pharisee to dinner. The other two are (Luke 7:36–50; 11:37–43)
In today's Gospel Jesus tells a parable about humility - found only in Luke's Gospel - wherein people who uplift (Greek hypsoo) themselves will be humbled, but those who humble (Greek tapeino) themselves will be exalted (14:11).
Luke loves to use the analogy of a feast to describe the abundant graces in God's heavenly Kingdom (example  1:53; 5:34; 6:21; 7:36–50; 13:28–30, feeding of the five thousand 9:12–17, prodigal son 15:11–32, and the rich man and Lazarus 16:19–31) 
This message of humility is also echoed in the Magnificat 1:46–55 which says "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." and in the Beatitudes. 
In our consumerism system that attaches moral significance to economic privilege, someone living in poverty or dependent on public assistance is stigmatized as immoral, lazy, or incompetent. God’s realm is built not on displays of wealth, prestige, or political influence, but on the love of one's neighbor, even those who hate you (Luke 6:27–36 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.)
Wealth, birthplace, race, class, gender, sexuality, age, access, health, and so on can be mistaken for Divine blessings when they are the result of privilege. God calls us to turn our privilege into blessings. A righteous reward in Heaven awaits those who live by these teachings.
Historical footnote: The u-shaped, three-sided table, triclinium, used in Roman banquets at the time was meant to provide equal access to the food, conversation, and entertainment, but in fact, each position at the table was assigned, and all the guests immediately knew their rank in relation to the others.
 
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