OMELIE / Omelie EN

31 ago 2025

31/08/2025 - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

31/08/2025 - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

First reading Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 Psalm 67 Second reading Heb 12:18-19, 22-24 Gospel Lk 14:1, 7-14

The Letter to the Hebrews points out the big difference between the people of the Old Covenant and those of the New. The former people was afraid to be in God's presence. Their knowledge of him terrified them. We, on the other hand, thanks to Jesus of course, rejoice in becoming closer to God: with him we find the angels and the souls of the righteous, the saints and above all the Mediator of the covenant, that is, Jesus Christ himself, our Lord. He has made God known to us as Father, he has described his love to us, indeed, he has made us enjoy it, with its sweetness, its mercy, its attention to everyone, small and great, poor and rich, good and bad.

Even in today's Gospel, we see Jesus attentive to those around him. His eyes are always open, his simple gaze catches the meaning of what is happening around him. He wants to gift wisdom even when he is invited to dinner, because even there, beneath the lack of good manners, lies human selfishness and pride. Indeed, he always wants to guide everyone to the kingdom of God that he has come to proclaim. In fact, when he says, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet...”, he is thinking of God's invitation, extended to everyone, to take part in his joy.

When God invites you to his banquet, do not think that you deserve anything, do not think that you are better than others: if you are, he certainly knows it, so you lose nothing by putting yourself in the last place.

These words were addressed in particular to the Pharisees, who believed themselves to be first before God and felt confident in their ability to observe the laws: they felt they did not need a saviour. This strong belief led them to consider themselves superior to others, and they openly despised them.

For God, it is not those who are able to completely observe the law who are righteous and pleasing to him, but those who love the Son he has sent to love us, to forgive us, to teach us, and to save us.

Those who love Jesus, therefore, know that he is the source of their salvation and the reason for their greatness. Those who love Jesus do not feel the need to make themselves great before men, because for Jesus everyone is small and miserable. The true greatness of man is to collaborate with God in loving precisely the weakest, most incapable, and suffering people. Therefore, when you want to host a banquet, you too will do as your Father does, and you will invite those who are not invited by anyone else, those who can never repay you except through the hands of God himself.

Jesus' words, which echo and develop those of ancient wisdom, are an exhortation to humility. The passage from the book of Sirach is in fact a collection of sayings rich in true wisdom: “My child, 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 favor with God”. The purpose of our life is not to be valued by men, but by God, our Father. And he, God, likes humility, because God himself is humble; indeed, St Francis would say that “God is humility"! Jesus, then, when he invites us to imitate him, invites us to imitate him precisely in being humble. And Jesus often warns us against pride and vanity, just as in today's first reading: “There is no remedy for the miserable condition of the proud, because the plant of evil is rooted in them”.

Even the Mother of the Lord, Mary, knows that she is loved by God for her humility. Humility is not wanting to lower oneself by ignoring or despising one's dignity as a child of God, but it is attributing to God every good thing we have, including our good qualities, because we have received everything from him. This humility, which knows that we have received everything, makes us aware that we are in debt, and thus becomes gratitude, and then also a desire to imitate. Aware of God's goodness and greatness, we also desire to make him known. Sirach tells us again: “He is glorified by the humble.” The humble person does not need to do anything to glorify God: he himself is his glory, just like Mary.

We want to become like the one who has been generous towards us: for this reason, we generously try to show love where we will not receive anything in return. From gestures of gratuitous love, from time and energy given without reward, we receive the most serene and profound joy, because gratuitousness makes us part of God's being!