November 4, 2013 Monday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time C Romans 11: 29-36 Luke 14: 12-14 The scene is Jesus in the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees. Jesus loved the gatherings around meals; at least, that’s what we are led to believe in the Gospel of Luke. He had already sanctioned these by his own presence. This was one of the primary distinctions between him and his ascetic mentor John the Baptist. Jesus observed how the guests chose the best places, and in response to this practice He told a parable to them. Jesus Christ did not, indeed, intend to condemn outright all family or social gatherings of a festive character in this passage. The point of the parable was: For whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. In the Gospel of Luke, meals, in particular, provide central settings for Jesus’ mission. And, the language of food, in general, serves as a basis for Jesus’ teaching. Eating is a sign of life and celebration. Food has religious connotations as well; Jesus “blessed” it and prayed for it daily. Here, Jesus is less interested in the actual food than in the composition of the banquet. So, he tells a story about meals and honour. His story emphasizes two components of the banquet setting: (1) the selection of “seats” (honour?); and, (2) the invitation list. In an honour and shame culture, avoiding shame is of the utmost importance since it is not simply embarrassment but public shame may have tangible implications for the shamed. A family’s bartering practices or marriage proposals can be negatively affected by a public shaming, if the shame is significant enough. To secure one’s place in this system, it was appropriate to invite friends, family, and rich neighbours. Reciprocal requests would ensue, as the public acknowledgement of an honourable person may bring its own rewards. But Jesus calls into question this type of caste system, asking the hosts to choose to associate with people who are “poor, crippled, lame, and blind” as their new network. The problem for hosts, however, as Jesus explicitly recognizes, is that no honour is forthcoming in return. Rather, it’s an investment in the future. As Christians, we are here asked by Jesus to seek to live out the counter-cultural value of inclusion for the most marginalized. Like that of Blessed Kuriackose Chavara in the case of inclusive education or that of Blessed Mother Theresa in the uplifting of the people at the periphery, these actions mirror Jesus own inclusive kingdom agenda to fill Gods house and offer that eschatology banquet to all. The teaching of Jesus is about the way we treat others, especially those among us who are unable to “pay us back.” In a modern democratic society in which public political rhetoric emphasizes that all are (created) equal, it is easy to miss the emphasis of Jesus’ teaching in his own status-oriented, honour-shame and hierarchical space. Yet, we have our ways of distinguishing one from another, in order to structure our contemporary world. Oftentimes, these distinctions among us hinder us from true fellowship with one another. Jesus’ story is a reminder to us about the company we keep. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. understood, “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” Finally, to seek the best places, to exalt ourselves or to offer hospitality and blessing to others with the motive and anticipation of our own social and financial gain is short-sighted and misses the purity of the generosity of the Lord. Our good works should be motivated by the greater, eternal reward of transforming ourselves to be true ambassadors the new Kingdom of God here on earth and beyond as envisaged by our Lord Jesus Christ and ‘to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect’. This is the recompense far higher than the earthly benefits of throwing a party for our own temporal advantage. Be blessed. Amen
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 07:23:59 +0000
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