Lectionary 484 God's gifts are irrevocable

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Scripture: Lectionary 484: Romans 11:1-2,11-12,25-29. Psalm 94:12-13,14-15,17-18. Luke14:1,7-11:

St. Paul identifies himself with the Jewish people. He is a Pharisee, a Benjaminite, and one who fulfilled the prescriptions of the Torah. He has, however, now converted to being a follower of Jesus. Paul is now a Christian Jew who brings Jesus to the non-Jews or Gentiles. Paul is concerned about his own people who are God’s chosen ones. But now he has become the apostle to the Gentiles and isthe most effective teacher and preacher to all who are not Jewish.

Paul ponders and prays about God’s plan and how it continues in a mysterious way among all peoples throughout history. God’s providential care for all peoples is beyond our human reckoning which is so limited when it comes to knowledge of God. He hopes that all will be united in Christ Jesus who for Paul is the redeemer and healer of all humans. For Paul to live fully means to live the life of Christ. Paul shares his hope for the Jewish people whom he thinks will turn to Christ out of envy of the great numbers of Gentiles who are coming into the Christian communities that he and the other apostles have founded. He reflects on this in chapters 9-11 in his Epistle to the Romans.

Paul is an inspired writer who follows the message of the Holy Spirit given to him. He concludes at the end of our reading for today that “God’s gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.” That means that the call to the chosen people of Israel continues while the call to the Gentiles is seen as something new. Nothing is taken away from the covenant made with Moses and Israel. Paul does not place the new covenant over the old one—both are irrevocable.

The Psalm for today is Psalm 94 and its message throughout is a confirmation of what Paul is saying:”The Lord will not abandon his people.” (Psalm 94:14). We could take the whole Psalm 94 and use it for our prayer this day. It will give us the assurance of our faith and our trust in the loving-kindness seen in the person of Jesus.

In the Gospel excerpt for today we find that Jesus is invited to a wedding banquet. He is being observed closely by the Pharisees; He, too, is carefully observing what is going on. He sees the ones invited are trying to get the best places at table. This is a teaching moment for him so he addresses the Pharisees with a parable illustrating the importance of humility. Those who are humble will have a better place given to them by the bridegroom’s family. Those who are not supposed to be seated where they placed themselves will have the shame of being told to go to another lower place.

We are called to listen carefully to what this parable is teaching us. As followers of Jesus we are his humble servants who become like him who is the servant of all. He does not play favorites. Humility enables us to experience God who always raises us up and gives us a place worthy of our calling. It is our humble acceptance of the presence of God that leads us to the higher understanding of God’s providential care for us and his redeeming love seen in his Son Jesus. We cannot “save ourselves” nor purchase a do it kit to make ourselves holy and worthy of a higher place in the sight of God. Self-helps are not the way to go to God. It is rather a “humble and contrite heart” that is open to the mystery of God that makes us experience the love of God shown to us in Jesus’ total self-giving of his love for everyone as Paul has pointed out. The gifts of God are irrevocable. Jesus totally emptied himself for our sake as we see in the hymn that Paul placed in his epistle to the Philippians (Philippians 2:5-11). Jesus and his mother Mary were the two who lived out that hymn and therefore they are united with God in the heavenly banquet and wedding feast. Mary’s hymn called the Magnificat sings of the lowliness that is hers but God has raised her up so that “ all generations will call her blessed.” We can learn humility from Jesus and Mary and from Paul’s personal messages to us. Amen.