A homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 28, 2022
Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29, Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a, Lk 14:1, 7-14
Imagine for a second that you’re a top-flight horseback rider and you’ve just won a coveted blue ribbon.
Or maybe you’re a quilter, and you’ve won a blue ribbon.
Or a chef, and you’ve achieved Cordon Bleu.
The applause is deafening. Your family and friends and total strangers are cheering for you, clapping for you, patting you on the back, maybe asking for your autograph.
Then it’s time to say a few words.
Do you downplay the achievement?
Do you boast that you knew all along you were the best?
Or do you thank the well-wishers, acknowledge the hard work you did and the support you received, and maybe give a tip of the hat to Lady Luck?
We all know that pride goeth before a fall, that it’s one of the Deadly Sins. So being a braggart or an arrogant fool is out (or at least should be).
And anyway, aren’t we called to be humble? So shouldn’t we say, “Aw, it was nuthin’ ”?
Absolutely not. That’s not humility. That’s the commonly mistaken notion about what it means to be humble, especially humble before God.
When we see plaques, posters, bumper stickers and T-shirts (I have one) quoting Micah 6:8
Do justice, love goodness, and walk humbly with your God
we can’t stumble over “humble.”
Many old TV Westerns had a scene where some hotheaded gunslinger rides into town looking for a fight, a Colt .45 duel at high noon on Main Street. The challenger sidles up to the sheriff and demands to know if he’s quick on the draw.
“Fastest in these parts,” the sheriff replies. “No brag; just fact.”
That’s true humility: acknowledging our gifts and talents and skills, no brag, just fact. But beyond that, we need to thank God for bestowing them on us. We need to walk with our God, gratefully. To feel God’s presence in everything we do, and to draw strength and wisdom from the Almighty every moment of every day.
Because God is beside us. Because God wants to be there and hopes we can see her presence.
We don’t have to hide our talents from God; God gave them to us to use in His Name. And doing what we’re best at in God’s name is the truest sign of gratitude.
We don’t have to hide our talents from each other. We are called specifically to not hide them under a bushel basket and, instead, be available with whatever we are good at whenever the need arises.
We are called to share.
So we start with self-awareness, with a humble but realistic assessment of who we are and what roles we can play in our families, in our neighborhood, in our church, in the world. If a butterfly’s sneeze can start a hurricane, we can, too.
Once we know what’s in our God-given toolkit, once we know what gifts we have to share, we can — and should — find the people who need them.
Not sure how to find our sisters and brothers in need? God will send them to us. Funny how that works.
Not every need is dire, though some are. And all are needs, not merely wants.
We can share our treasures — money, clothes, furniture, food.
We can share our talents — home repairs, housekeeping, child care, gardening.
We can share ourselves. Being present. Listening; possibly listening actively, if that’s our ability. Praying with someone. Praying for someone.
In the Gospel today, Jesus gives us compelling advice on whom to invite to a banquet and where to seat them. There are millions worldwide who need a place at the table. There are people in our lives who need a place at the table. Who need that invitation. Who will be thankful and whose spirits will rise because we have reaffirmed their status as fellow children of God.
In our strife-torn world today, Jesus also wants us to serve our guests. To tie on an apron and serve them ourselves, the best way each of us can.
