Brothers and sisters in Christ. Today Our Lord speaks to us about humility at the banquet. He warns us not to seek the places of honour, but rather to sit in the lowest place, to be ready to be called higher. He also teaches us to give our hospitality not to those who can repay us, but to the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. In this, He reveals the very shape of the Kingdom of God.
The Fathers of our Benedictine tradition remind us that humility is the foundation of all Christian life. Saint Benedict, in his Rule, devotes an entire chapter to the twelve steps of humility, beginning with the fear of God and culminating in the peace of perfect charity. To place ourselves in the lowest seat is not simply a polite gesture—it is to acknowledge the truth of who we are before God: creatures, fragile, dependent, and loved not because of our merits, but because of His mercy.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, our Cistercian father, spoke often of the danger of pride as the root of sin, and of humility as the ladder by which we ascend to God. He wrote that “humility is the guardian of virtues.” If we lose it, every good work is poisoned by self-seeking; if we embrace it, then even the smallest act shines with God’s light. To invite the poor, the stranger, the one who cannot repay, is to imitate the humility of Christ Himself, who came not to be served but to serve.
For those who live in the world, this Gospel is an invitation to practice humility in daily life: in our families, our workplaces, our friendships. We are called not to seek recognition, but to give quietly, to welcome those who are overlooked, and to remember that true honour comes not from men, but from God who sees in secret.
Dear friends, when we come to the altar today, we come as poor and needy, unable to repay the Host who feeds us with His own Body and Blood. Yet He calls us to His banquet and lifts us up. Let us then live in the spirit of this Eucharist: lowly in heart, generous in love, and confident that the only glory worth desiring is to share in the humility and joy of Christ our Lord.
Amen.