Gospel Reflection 2021/2022

Say the right thing at the right time.

There is this common rule in life: “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” In similar words, Mark Twain would say, “If you have nothing to say, say nothing.” And in the wisdom of Asian parents, “If you don’t say a word, no one would say you are dumb.” All these quotes advise us to guard our tongues always: to be politically correct; to think before we speak; and to say the right thing, at the right time and at the right place.

Jesus always says the darndest things!

While the world teaches us to guard our tongues always – yet, instead of being politically correct – Jesus always says the darndest things!

Let us imagine the scene of the Gospel reading for the 22^nd Sunday in the Ordinary Time [cf. Lk 14: 1, 7-14]:

Jesus was invited for a meal at the house of a leading Pharisees; and they were scrutinising Him. Instead of expressing His gratitude and appreciation, Jesus commented on how the guests were picking the places of honour. He told them [Lk 14: 11], “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.” Unafraid of being unpopular, Jesus did not stop there. He even went on to comment on the guests list and that the host should have invited the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind… and those who could not repay his generosity.

If it were not Jesus saying these words, someone would probably have shouted at Him to “shut up and eat!”.

Jesus could have just ‘shut up and eat’, but He did not.

Jesus could have just gone with the flow, chilled and relaxed, enjoyed the food, the laughter, the jokes and the conversations, made everyone happy, and left with peace of mind and heart. He could have just ‘shut up and eat’, but He did not.

As Christians, we should have known that our Lord Jesus is not so much concerned with the food, but His Heart is always for the people. He always uses the occasions of meals to teach and instruct the people on the truths of God and His Kingdom.

Yes, as faithful disciples of Jesus, we are not called to go with the flow, to be politically correct, or to just ‘shut up and eat’. Instead, we are called to speak God’s truth even at the risk of being unpopular.

Why would Jesus say what He has said?

Is it truly mind-boggling why Jesus said what He has said? Of all things, why would He comment on the seat selections and the guests list? Has He nothing better to say? Has He nothing more important to teach? Why would He make a mountain out of a molehill?

No, Jesus is not being petty or nit-picking here. Neither is He trying to teach us table etiquette or party planning 101. Perhaps reflecting on these three points will help us in understanding Jesus better:

(1) Even the smallest detail matters to God.

Jesus has told us [Mt 5: 18], “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota (jot) or dot (tittle), will pass from the law until all is accomplished.”

The ‘iota’ and the ‘dot’ refer to the letter and the smallest stroke in the Hebrew alphabet. Yes, even the smallest detail matters to God. God looks at the details – even the smallest stroke – no matter how small or how insignificant it may seem.

🔸 No sin can enter heaven [cf. Rev 21:27]. Even the smallest sin – if unpurified – is big enough to bar us from entering heaven. Therefore, we must strive to avoid every sin no matter how trivial it may seem.

🔸 Likewise, even the smallest good – from a genuine heart – is big enough to please our Father in heaven. Therefore, we must persevere to do good no matter how small or insignificant it may be. Every tiny seed of faith, hope and love that we sow, will sprout and grow and bear abundant fruits, in God’s time.

🔸 The same is true for prayers: there is no prayer too small, too short, or too silly… that God will not listen to. Therefore, we must continue to ‘pray without ceasing’ [1 Th 5: 17].

(2) God looks at our hearts.

“You will know a tree by its fruits.” [Mt 17: 16]: our actions reveal our hearts.

🔸 We choose the seats of honour because we want to be seen, we want to be honoured, we want to be celebrated, and we want to be worshipped.

🔸 We choose to invite the distinguished guests, the Datuk(s) and Datin(s), the Tan Sri(s), the Reverend Father(s), the rich, the mighty, the famous and the influential, to showcase the ‘powerful connections’ that we have – to fuel our political mileage, to grow our businesses, to enhance our credibility, to boost our image, or to inflate our ego.

Since our hearts dictate our actions, we must watch our actions, examine our consciences and guard our hearts so that we will not be too proud and too full of ourselves until our hearts are devoid of God and His poor.

(3) God loves the humble of hearts.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted,” so Jesus says [Lk 14: 11].

And St James echoes [Jm 4: 10], “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

God knows us through and through. He understands us in and out. He searches our deepest thoughts and knows our secret minds.

🔸 He shuns the proud: ‘all those who are arrogant are an abomination to the Lord; be assured, they will not go unpunished.’ [Pr 16: 5]

🔸 But He loves the humble of hearts: ‘a humbled and contrite heart, God will not spurn’ [Ps 50: 15].

The virtue of humility.

‘According to Abba Apollo, a desert father who lived about 1,700 years ago, the devil has no knees; he cannot kneel; he cannot adore; he cannot pray; he can only look down his nose in contempt. Being unwilling to bend the knee at the name of Jesus is the essence of evil (cf. Is 45:23, Rm 14:11).’ [Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Catholic Culture | ‘Knees to Love Christ’]

Proud and arrogant the devil may be, yet the virtue of humility is the weapon that renders him powerless and defenceless. Humility is the very weapon that Jesus used to defeat the devil when He humbled Himself by dying on the Cross.

St Augustine of Hippo beautifully and rightfully says, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” Let us, therefore, watch our actions, examine our consciences and guard our hearts from pride, and to always ‘walk humbly with our God’ [Mi 6:8].

Let our fervent prayer be:

“Lord Jesus Christ, let me always walk humbly with You.”

Let us also pray that God’s justice, peace, truth and love may prevail in Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.