Homily for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Luke 14:1, 7-14)

 by Fr. Azam Vianney Mansha, CJM - STL 

Today’s Gospel passage calls us to be humble and generous. In the parable, Jesus teaches us to avoid the place of honour by humbling ourselves. Furthermore, Jesus corrects the host and commands him to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,” as well as the poor who cannot pay him back. By doing this act of generosity, Jesus tells him, “You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” In other words, Jesus is reminding us that charity is NOT A SOCIAL CLUB. It is the work of God and we will be certainly repaid at our resurrection because we are the family of God, and not only that; God lives among the poor, as one of our famous Christian songs go (Robert Kochis):

Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me. When I was hungry, you gave me to eat; When I was thirsty, you gave me to drink. Now enter into the home of My Father. Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.

Dear sisters and brothers, although humility and generosity are two different things, they go hand in hand. In other words, “We do charity with humility” or “We humble ourselves to do charity.” When Jesus says, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” He wants to in-still in us that we should not have a proud attitude at all. In other words, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” is an expression that nothing belongs to you. You are God’s instrument of grace and God works through you; therefore, we have nothing to feel proud about. We have to be humble enough to say that the acts of charity that we do are the works of God. We must continue to do these works of God because charity is light and Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others so that they may see your deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

St. John Eudes calls humility as “the mother of all virtues.” Nature all around us actually teaches us the virtues of humility and generosity. If you notice, trees bend to give fruits, rivers flow to give life, flowers bloom to give fragrance, and the sun comes up to give light. Indeed, God’s creation teaches us to be humble and generous. Often, humility is associated with quietness and submission, but Sacred Scripture tells us that humility is a door through which we receive the graces of God. In other words, putting together these two virtues-humility and generosity, we actually open ourselves to receive Divine Providence.

In February 2022, I got an email from the airlines for an upgrade in my seat to business class. I had been travelling for almost 16 years but I never had the desire to travel by business class. This time, however, I do not know why, but when I saw the email, there was this desire in me to at least see how business class looks like and how it works. I begun the process of accepting the offer, but then suddenly, I stopped because the airlines was asking to pay $300 for the upgrade! I immediately refused to complete the process because I believe that whatever I have or whatever gifts I receive, they all belong to the poor and mission.

The day of my flight from Karachi to Dubai to Manila arrived. After clearing all the S.O.P.’s at the Dubai airport, I boarded the plane and sat in my economy seat. As the other passengers boarded, I recited my rosary for a safe trip. Suddenly, a young girl came up to me and gazed at me, then she left and brought a flight attendant back with her. The flight attendant asked for my boarding pass. I immediately gave it to her and said, “Sorry if I am sitting in the wrong seat. She can take my seat and I can sit at the back.” The flight attendant looked at my face and went somewhere while the young girl stood by my seat. After 10 minutes, the flight attendant came back and said, “Sorry Sir, there has been a mistake. We have issued one seat to two passengers. We are sorry for the inconvenience and we ask for an apology. As the airlines’ policy, you are now being upgraded to business class for your trip from Dubai to Manila.” What!!! Business class!!! In my heart, I was so surprised by the action of God, which reminded me once again that if I take care of the people of God, God will take care of me. I enjoyed my first and last business class trip and I am happy with economy class.

Dear sisters and brothers, the medicine of humility heals woundedness of pride, envy, anger and lust, while the medicine of generosity heals greed, gluttony and sloth. Let’s always keep the prayer of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta in our minds and hearts:

Lord, open our eyes that we may see you in our brothers and sisters. Lord, open our ears that we may hear the cries of the hungry. Lord, open our hearts that we may love each other as you love us. Renew in us your spirit. Lord, free us and make us one. Amen.

May Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Our Mother, intercede for us so that we may frequently practice the virtues of humility and generosity to see you in our brothers and sisters, to open our ears to hear the cries of the hungry, and to open our hearts to love one another.