On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then he said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
In the parable of the talents, we discussed God’s financial calculus, today we confront God’s social calculus. To better explain I believe that we have to review the fall of Satan. When the God created the universe He started with the angels (and Satan was first among the angels), then He created the universe of planets and stars, next the animals and plants of the world, and finally He created man. In Satan’s mind those things that were created first were greater than those things created last. So he thought that after God Himself, that he Satan was the most powerful creature in the universe, and indeed he was.
Satan believed that the lower things should worship and serve the higher things in the universe. Thus he believed that humans should serve him, and not the other way around. But What Satan did not understand was that there is only one source of worship in the realm of all existence, God! And that everything that God had made in the heaven and earth was for the thriving and flourishing of all of his Creation, to help them turn to God with love and adoration. God believed that the strong should support and help the week with humility and love, and the weak should rely on and trust in those above them like children. It is truly the beautiful harmony of His two great commandments, Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.
So when God showed Satan and all of the angels His plan to lower Himself to human form in the incarnation, and become man, so that He could redeem mankind through His death and resurrection. It was at that point that Satan and a third of the angels fell from grace rejecting God, saying “I will not serve.” God’s plan was to have the powerful and strong learn humility and kindness and for those lower than them, and to ultimately put themselves last, and lifting up the lowly. And for those that are lowly to have the patience and hope to trust in the promise of God, so that they can be exalted in heaven.
The lords prayers says “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” But why it then that our earth not like this already…? In one word the answer is, Satan. He is the lord of this world, and the calculus of the powerful (greed, lust and pride) is the only one that he understands, and since he is the tempter of all of the world, his influence is strong. Thus the powerful of the world are always exploiting the weak, and fighting with the other strongmen of the world, and as a result, we are left with only pain and suffering.
But in the calculus of God, the humble and the meek will be lifted up, and the strong and the powerful will be humbled. That is the point of God’s plan and His Justice. That is what we should strive for. Because if you make it to heaven, nothing short of this standard will be excepted. I do not believe that there will be humility police in heaven, but instead, the glory of God in the beatific vision will be so powerful that you will not be able to do anything less than give your very best, to love your very best, and to serve others, your very best. Let us strive for that even now, prepare our hearts in this world and for the next in the eternity of heaven.
