Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

“Triumph of Christ with Angels and Cherubs”
by Bernardino Lanino, 1570’s

Readings for Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Philippians 2:5-11

Have among yourselves the same attitude

that is also yours in Christ Jesus,

Who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and, found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

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Commentary on Phil 2:5-11

This familiar passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians is known as the “Kenotic” hymn or “emptying” hymn. Christ empties himself of the complete divinity that is his essence and accepts the human condition. As true man he suffers the ultimate humiliation of death (on the cross). The second section of the hymn focuses on God’s resulting actions of exaltation. The Christian sings to God’s great glory in Christ proclaiming him Lord and Savior.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22:26b-27, 28-30ab, 30e, 31-32

R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

I will fulfill before those who fear him.

The poor will eat their fill;

those who seek the LORD will offer praise.

May your hearts enjoy life forever!"

R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

All the ends of the earth

will worship and turn to the LORD;

All the families of nations

will bow low before you.

R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

For kingship belongs to the LORD,

the ruler over the nations.

All who sleep in the earth

will bow low before God

R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

And I will live for the LORD;

my descendants will serve you.

The generation to come will be told of the Lord,

that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn

the deliverance you have brought.

R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

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Commentary on Ps 22:26b-27, 28-30ab, 30e, 31-32

Psalm 22 is an individual lament.  The psalmist, in unusually passionate terms describes the devotion of the faithful and the trust that God’s rule over all will be just.  The final strophe is a pledge of faithfulness for all generations to come.  The emotional tone of this psalm matches that of the Kenotic Hymn from Philippians.

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Gospel: Luke 14:15-24

One of his (Jesus’) fellow guests on hearing this said to him,

“Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”

He replied to him,

“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.

When the time for the dinner came,

he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,

‘Come, everything is now ready.’

But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.

The first said to him,

‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;

I ask you, consider me excused.’

And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen

and am on my way to evaluate them;

I ask you, consider me excused.’

And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,

and therefore I cannot come.’

The servant went and reported this to his master.

Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,

‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town

and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out

and still there is room.’

The master then ordered the servant,

‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows

and make people come in that my home may be filled.

For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

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Commentary on Lk 14:15-24

This story from St. Luke’s Gospel is an analogy for those of the Jewish faith who reject Jesus as the Messiah. He tells them that those to whom faith in God first was given have rejected the very prophecy the hold sacred and others will enjoy the fulfillment of those prophecies.

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Reflection:

We too are invited to the great feast.  We were called and asked to come to the Eucharistic Banquet.  Jesus tells this familiar story to peers, members of Jewish leadership whom he has been chastising.  The Lord rightfully expects these leaders to understand God’s concern for the poor but they are above such “common” things.  They would rather remain aloof, hosting lavish dinner parties at which they can debate the minutia of Mosaic Law.  They invite itinerate rabbis to join them in order to debate interpretation.  The Lord is not amused.  He has just told his host that rather than inviting social peers and social leaders to his party (in hopes that his wealthy friends will do the same for him), he should invite the poor and hungry of whom no such reciprocal treatment might be expected.

One of those guests sitting near him just missed the point again, taking Jesus previous remark as some sort of theological debate as opposed to a corrective statement.  The remark, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.", probably frustrates the Lord. He responds by telling the guests that while they (as part of what they think of as the “chosen race”), have heard God’s Law and have been invited to follow it (thereby gaining the reward promised), by rejecting Jesus’ teaching (and his identity) they have forfeited their claim to a place in that heavenly banquet.

He goes back to his earlier point and tells these high ranking Jewish scholars that the poor and the hungry will be invited first to that great feast in the Kingdom of God and they in turn will be followed by those in the byways (Gentiles) while those first invited will be left out side.

We too are invited to the great feast!  We too are called to the Eucharistic celebration, marrying our temporal bodies to the immortal soul of the Lord.  We are reminded that entrance to that feast requires an attitude of Christ, as St. Paul’s hymn tells us; one of humility.  How could we feel otherwise?  We were invited from the byways ourselves.  We hope to come before the one who laid down his life for our lives.

The great message provided today is captured in the Kenotic Hymn, Christ emptied himself of his divinity so he would experience human death and thereby save the whole human race from the death to sin.  Our attitude must be like his.  Today, even as we do our civic duty, we ask for his guidance, that we might follow his example and, in doing so, find our place in the heavenly banquet in our own time.

Pax

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[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture used today is “Triumph of Christ with Angels and Cherubs” by Bernardino Lanino, 1570’s

[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL).  This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.