Fr. Roger J. Landry
St. William the Abbot Parish, Howell, NJ
Day of Recollection on “The Nourishment of Saints: Learning from the Holy Ones How to Live a Eucharistic Life.”
Saturday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II
Votive Mass of the Holy Eucharist
October 29, 2022
Phil 1:18-26, Ps 42, Lk 14:1.7-11
To listen to an audio recording of today’s homily, please click below:
The following outline guided the homily:
- Today’s Gospel Jesus teaches us about the importance of humility.
- The desire for best seats, back stage passages and first-class goes against Jesus’ message about taking the lowest seats at a dinner in today’s Gospel.
- But to be exalted by him, we need to follow him along the path of humility.
- In the Eucharist, Jesus teaches about humility.
- The Door of Humility in Bethlehem gives us a spirituality of the incarnation and what we need to do to adore the Lord.
- During the Last Supper, Jesus lived this Gospel, not just not taking the lowest seat but taking on the form of a slave and washing the apostles’ feet as an example so that we would learn how to do the same in humble service of others.
- The Eucharist makes us “one body, one Spirit” in Christ, but we must make that a moral communion as well through our loving service of each other.
- St. Paul emphasizes in today’s first reading from his Letter to the Philippians that in life and in death we’re called humbly to follow the Lord. He wants Christ to be magnified in his body, whether in his sufferings in imprisonment or in his death. To magnify Christ requires humility. Later in this Letter — the passage we would have on Tuesday if it were not All Saints Day — he would tell us to have in us “the same mind that is in Christ Jesus, who though he was God, emptied himself took on the form of a slave, being born like a human and becoming obedient even to death on a Cross.” This was the path of exaltation, his kenosis — not just in entering the world but on the altar — and we’re called to have that same mind.
- Continuing our focus on the saints, here in the Church we have watching over us a beautiful statue of St. Therese, whose little way of trust and love, whose way of spiritual childhood, was one of humility, of poverty in spirit, by which she went before the Lord with empty hands, asking the Lord to fill us. That’s what we do at every Mass, asking God the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit to send his Son to fill up whatever in us is lacking so that following him down this path of self-sacrificial service, we may be exalted by him forever.
The readings for today’s Mass were:
Reading 1 PHIL 1:18B-26
As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,
for I know that this will result in deliverance for me
through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
My eager expectation and hope
is that I shall not be put to shame in any way,
but that with all boldness, now as always,
Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
And this I know with confidence,
that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you
for your progress and joy in the faith,
so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me
when I come to you again.
Responsorial Psalm PS 42:2, 3, 5CDEF
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
I went with the throng
and led them in procession to the house of God.
Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,
with the multitude keeping festival.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
Alleluia MT 11:29AB
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 14:1, 7-11
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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