Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missalette July-August 2023

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
2nd week of the psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of Sirach (Sir 3:19-21,30-31)
My child, perform your tasks with gentleness, and you will be loved more than a generous person. The greater you are, the more you should humble yourself, and you will find favor before the Lord. Many are proud and arrogant, but he reveals his secrets to the humble. For great is the power of the Lord, and by the humble he is glorified. There is no remedy for the proud person's miserable condition, because the plant of evil is rooted in him. The wise heart meditates on proverbs, and an attentive ear is what the wise desire. - The word of God.

Reflection on the first reading

In this passage from the Book of Sirach, we find an emphasis on the value of gentleness, humility, and modesty in order to be well regarded by others and, above all, by God. These virtues open our hearts to God's gifts and transform us into his witnesses. Above all, gentleness does not seem to be considered a virtue nowadays. In the common imagination, being gentle means showing weakness and, generally, having a resigned attitude toward life. Indeed, the gentle person does not shout to obtain justice for themselves, nor do they do everything possible to attract attention. How, then, could anyone desire such a condition? And yet Sacred Scripture says exactly the opposite: the people who truly made history and of whom, after so many centuries, we still speak were gentle and able to place their trust in God. Cultivating this virtue means understanding what is truly important, without allowing ourselves to be deceived by the world's way of thinking. The gentle person is one who knows how to judge reality through the eyes of God and his love.

SECOND READING

From the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 12:18-19,22-24a)
Brothers and sisters, you have not drawn near to something tangible, nor to a blazing fire, nor to darkness, gloom, and storm, nor to the sound of a trumpet and the sound of words, while those who heard it begged God that no further word be spoken to them. Instead, you have drawn near to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to countless angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. - The word of God.

Reflection on the second reading

In the Old Testament, drawing near to God was a source of fear: how could one hear his voice without dying? For this reason, many Old Testament descriptions portray the revelations of the Most High as events accompanied by great upheavals in nature. But the author of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that all this has ended: now God reveals himself in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore, we no longer have reason to fear him, because our destiny is like that of the angels and saints in heaven. Through faith and love, we share in their same beatific vision. Therefore, we can no longer be afraid of the one who loves us more than anyone else in the world. Our attitude must be one of trust in him, just as children trust the most loving of fathers. Our Lord whispers love, and we draw life from every word that comes from his mouth; he looks at us, and our lives are illuminated by goodness; he draws near, and we are comforted and accompanied on our journey. The time of fear is over.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:1,7-14)
One Sabbath Jesus went to dine at the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees, and they were watching him closely. He told the guests a parable, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not take the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited, and the person who invited both of you comes and says to you, ‘Give your place to this person.’ Then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Instead, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place, so that when the person who invited you comes, they may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the sight of all the other guests. For everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled, and the one who humbles themselves will be exalted.” Then he said to the one who had invited him: “When you offer a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return and you receive repayment. Rather, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” - The word of the Lord

Reflection on the Gospel of the day

Jesus' message is truly timely: it seems that generosity, giving without expecting anything in return, is very difficult in our relationships. Indeed, no matter how much we may convince ourselves otherwise, our ways of acting and our relationships are always afflicted by those ugly tendencies: self-interest, personal gain, and the expectation of receiving something in return. Clearly, this is not merely about material repayment: even the demand for attention and the insistence on being considered at all costs are similar forms of seeking a reward. For this reason, Jesus, who knows our hearts, invites us to direct our attention especially toward those who have nothing with which to repay us. This is the best practice for removing from our hearts the harmful weed of self-interest that, in one way or another, we are always trying to cultivate. We must bring the logic of service into our daily lives, overcoming the desire and impulse to sit in the place of honor. True greatness does not lie in prevailing, but in knowing how to humble ourselves, with humility and love, even before the least among us; in becoming a free gift for others, imitating Christ, who gave his entire self for the salvation and happiness of each person.