GO AND TAKE THE LOWEST PLACE

Phil 1,18b-26; Ps 41; Lk 14,1.7-11
3 NOVEMBER

Every man is placed by God on earth to carry out a mystery, whose origin can come only from his Creator and Lord. The greatness of a man is to always remain in the divine will, in obedience to the command received. There is no life in disobedience. Iotam’s apologue is very informative in this regard. Every tree refuses to be anything else.

When this was reported to him, Jotham went to the top of Mount Gerizim, and standing there, cried out to them in a loud voice: “Hear me, citizens of Shechem, that God may then hear you! Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves. So they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ But the olive tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my rich oil, whereby men and gods are honoured, and go to wave over the trees?’ Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come; you reign over us!’ But the fig tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’ Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come you, and reign over us.’ But the vine answered them, ‘Must I give up my wine that cheers gods and men, and go to wave over the trees?’ Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, ‘Come; you reign over us!’ But the buckthorn replied to the trees, ‘If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith, come and take refuge in my shadow. Otherwise, let fire come from the buckthorn and devour the cedars of Lebanon’ (Jdg 9,7-15).

The father teaches his son how to stay in his truth. To do this, he must never fall into the sin of pride. What is pride? It is taking the place of God and giving ends to one’s life that God has not given. The first goal of man is that of always remaining a man. He is not God. If he is not God, he is a brother among the brothers. Nothing else.

My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favour with God. For great is the power of God; by the humble he is glorified. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. What is committed to you, attend to; for what is hidden is not your concern. With what is too much for you meddle not, when shown things beyond human understanding. Their own opinion has misled many, and false reasoning unbalanced their judgment. Where the pupil of the eye is missing, there is no light, and where there is no knowledge, there is no wisdom. A stubborn man will fare badly in the end, and he who loves danger will perish in it. A stubborn man will be burdened with sorrow; a sinner will heap sin upon sin. For the affliction of the proud man there is no cure; he is the offshoot of an evil plant. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man’s joy. Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins. He who does a kindness is remembered afterward; when he falls, he finds a support (Sir 3,17-31).

Jesus sees men who do not live in true humanity. Everyone thinks of himself as superior to others. Everyone wants to get ahead of others. The place does not make the man if man is not a man. It is the man who makes the chair and not the chair the man. It is the man who is the king and sits on a throne. It is not the throne that makes the king. Yet one often falls. in this mental confusion Everyone can be a man only in the place that God has assigned to him. Obedience to one’s vocation and mission is the true greatness of the person.

On a Sabbath he 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 honour at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honour. 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 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Everyone must want to stay in the place that God has assigned to him. If then the Lord wants to assign other places, only He is the Lord and only He can do it. Man is asked only one thing: obeying only and always to the Lord. Where the Lord places, there we stay.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, obtain for us the gift of true humility, which is pure obedience.