Saturday of 30th week even numbered year “Jesus then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said tot hem ’When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited.”
Jesus opens Himself up to us and so we see how He is in communion with his Father through his gestures and his words.
Leaving the first place to the Other is not just a way of living, of being, but it is in fact Wisdom. Jesus who shares the life of mankind is on the same level as we are. We have to receive our right place from our brothers, doing the same things as they do, accepting the given reality.
Jesus sees others on a deep level, attentive to their way of life how they situate themselves in life, and he is close to them.
He listens to what they have to say, giving his reaction and he enters into dialogue.
We are surprised at hearing in this Gospel this need to ’be at the first place’, this never-ending quest to be at the first place, to always have human recognition. We are looking for human power, human influence whereas we are travelling towards such a lovely reality : the encounter with God! Using all our life’s events, Jesus wants to put in our hearts God’s reality, and he does so with an astonishing patience.
“When you are a guest go and make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say ’My friends come up here;!’ Then everyone at the table will see you honoured”.
This is the way Jesus touches us and has us enter into Wisdom; He frees us from what keeps us captive, his Word is Truth. He proposes surprising attitudes : ’
’When you are invited, go and take the last place.’
’When you give a feast, invite the poor and lame, the blind’ not people who can invite you back but those who are deep down lost.
Each time Jesus indicate to us a huge benefit that will be given to us in the future :’ When the one who I,nvited you will come, he will say to you : ’My friend, come up here’, and for you it will be a great honour in the eyes of all those who are at table with you.
Jesus’ aim is to have us understand that we shall be happy because we are going to be in a situation of constant flowing gratuity, in these impossible situations.
“For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be raised up.”
The true weight of our life is in gratuitous joy this goes much further than all our activities. In this gratuity we can choose the way we want to be. Beyond what we do, there is this life which never stops being given.
We can place ourselves where we are, in the wake of Jesus in this great Love He reveals to us. God wants us to keep a great Love in our hearts. He wants to answer this Love, for we are Invited to the wedding feast.
We can understand the ardent preparation of this encounter. We place our heart at the diapason of the heart of the Bridegroom. Dwelling in the Heart of Love and not taking off the dress of Love of our heart so as to remain at the rhythm of love, being moved by this Love.
Jesus wishes to instruct us in our encounters so as to help us to be positioned in our relationship with our sisters and brothers.
’Whoever lowers himself will be raised up.’
It is always offered to us to remain in Jesus’ love, this means to remain in humility of heart.
Within us is a desire for God, this is what is the most beautiful and marvellous in us. This desire is moved by God, animated by him. The one who put such a desire in the heart of humanity will fill this desire. We are a mysterious reality in need of springs of living waters and lovely, good pasture.