Entrance Antiphon
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of mercy to all who call to you.
First Reading: Sirach 3:17-20, 28-29. A reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus
Humble yourself and you will find favour with the Lord.
My son, be gentle in carrying out your business,
and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.
The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly,
and then you will find favour with the Lord;
for great though the power of the Lord is,
he accepts the homage of the humble.
There is no cure for the proud man’s malady,
since an evil growth has taken root in him.
The heart of a sensible man will reflect on parables,
an attentive ear is the sage’s dream.
Responsorial Psalm: God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
- The just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;
rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence. (R.)
- Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.
God gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom. (R.)
- You poured down, O God, a generous rain:
when your people were starved you gave them new life.
It was there that your people found a home,
prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor. (R.)
Second Reading: Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24. A reading from the letter to the Hebrews
You have to come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God.
What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them. But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! Take my yoke upon you; learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 14:1. 7-14. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
All who exalt themselves shall be humbled and all who humble themselves shall be exalted.
On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’
REFLECTION
Pope Leo encourages the Church’s bishops to live ‘a life of evangelical poverty’. As the pope explained in a jubilee meditation, each bishop should exhibit ‘a simple, sober and generous lifestyle, dignified and at the same time suited to the conditions of the majority of his people.’
‘The poor must find in him a father and a brother,’ the pope continued, ‘and never feel uncomfortable in meeting him or entering his home. In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power. The bishop must never forget that, like Jesus, he has been anointed with the Holy Spirit and sent to bring good news to the poor (cf. Lk 4:18).’
As we reflect on this week’s Gospel we might ask ourselves how these words apply to each one of us too. Are we called to rise above others, or to stand with them? Are we bringers of hope in our own time and place?
And in a particular way we might also pray for our bishops, that they may be given the grace to heed the pope’s advice and follow Christ’s commission. May we also have the grace to support them in turn when they do.
© Nick Brodie