1st Reading – Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.
What is too sublime for you, seek not,
into things beyond your strength search not.
The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.

The Book of Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus, is part of the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Written in the early second century BC by Jesus ben Sira, it gathers practical instruction, moral guidance, and theological reflection rooted in Jewish tradition, emphasizing the integration of faith with daily life.

Today’s passage is a short discourse on humility, a virtue essential for a lover of wisdom.

My child,

Sirach addresses his audience with a term of affection and guidance, signaling the counsel of a teacher to a pupil.

conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.

At first glance, this appears to be practical advice for winning affection. However, humility is not a mere strategy — it reflects a right understanding of oneself before God and others, which naturally draws respect and love.

Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.

Status or achievement should deepen humility, not diminish it.

True greatness is shown in the willingness to learn, to serve, and to acknowledge dependence on God. This is both a moral and spiritual imperative (cf. Proverbs 3:34; Psalm 25:14).

What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not.

This is not a rejection of growth or inquiry, but a caution against prideful overreach — especially pursuing knowledge or influence beyond one’s grasp for the sake of self-promotion.

Humility recognizes human limits and trusts God’s timing for revelation and understanding.

The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man’s joy.

Those who are truly wise delight in receiving wisdom from others, recognizing its beauty and truth.

Proverbs serve as compact guides for living rightly, treasured by those attuned to God’s ways.

Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins.

The passage ends somewhat abruptly with a final proverb about charity.

This affirms a consistent biblical theme: acts of mercy, especially toward the poor, flow from humility and bring spiritual benefit (cf. Tobit 12:8-9).

With its call for a life shaped by humility before God and others, openness to instruction, and concrete acts of mercy, this reading prepares our hearts to receive Jesus’ teaching in today’s gospel reading about true greatness.

2nd Reading – Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24

Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
and storm and a trumpet blast
and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

This week is the last installment of our four-week study of Hebrews, which presents Christ as the perfect mediator of the new covenant.

In this final passage, the author contrasts Israel’s encounter with God at Mount Sinai and the Christian vision of Mount Zion.

Whenever we hear such contrasts between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, we must take care not to fall into anti-Judaic interpretations. The Covenant at Sinai was a true and holy encounter with God, and the New Covenant builds upon it in fulfillment through Christ.

Brothers and sisters: You have not approached that which could be touched and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and storm and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to them.

The author never mentions Mount Sinai by name, but the imagery unmistakably echoes Israel’s encounter with God there (see Exodus 19-20; Deuteronomy 4-5).

At Sinai the people gathered around a mountain marked by fire, storm, a trumpet blast, and the terrifying voice of God. They were even warned not to touch the mountain itself, lest they die.

Overwhelmed, the people begged Moses to mediate, saying, “You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die” (Exodus 20:19).

No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,

In contrast, Christians are drawn not to Sinai but to Zion.

This is not the literal Mount Zion, which was associated with King David and upon which Solomon constructed the Temple. This is the heavenly Jerusalem, the dwelling of God in the age of fulfillment. This is an eschatological vision: the assembly of God’s people gathered in joyful worship at the culmination of salvation history.

and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect,

Unlike the experience on Sinai, the theophany on Zion is surrounded by festivity and communion. Angels rejoice; the “firstborn” (the baptized, united to Christ the Firstborn) share in the heavenly liturgy; the just of every age are made perfect before God, who is present as judge.

and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,

At the heart of this gathering is Christ himself, mediator of the new covenant.

and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

Christ’s blood, poured out in sacrifice, speaks not of vengeance like Abel’s (Genesis 4:10), but of mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

The author is not dismissing the first covenant but showing its fulfillment in Christ, whose sacrifice brings definitive access to God and inaugurates eternal worship.

Gospel – Luke 14:1, 7-14

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 every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then he said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus uses the setting of a Sabbath meal to teach about humility and true hospitality.

This story is found only in Luke, highlighting his special concern for Christ’s attitude toward the rich and the poor.

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,

These details are important to set the scene.

Sabbath dinners were occasions for inviting guests who were not family members, which explains why Jesus was present. Furthermore, such gatherings were times for theological discussion — and in the case of Jesus, an opportunity for the religious leaders present to put his orthodoxy to the test.

Jesus didn’t refuse invitations, even from Pharisees, who were his enemies. You can’t make enemies into friends if you refuse to spend time with them.

and the people there were observing him carefully.

Jesus was watched by the other guests, but as we will see, he also observed them. He is the one who will find fault and deliver two ethical directives: one for the guests and one for the host.

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.

Proper seating at banquets was important for a society that was preoccupied, as Israel was, with questions of honor and shame. One’s place at table was indicative of the degree of honor with which the host regarded the guest.

We already know what Jesus thinks about seeking prestige. Earlier in Luke’s gospel, when the disciples were having an argument over which of them was the greatest, Jesus placed a child beside them and said, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest” (Luke 9:48).

“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.

Humility is so necessary for salvation that Jesus takes every opportunity to stress its importance.

Jesus does not condemn the practice of arranging seats, but the pride that seeks prestige. His counsel to take the lowest place is not a strategy for gaining honor but a summons to genuine humility before God.

This is the society of which Jesus is a member, and he uses its social practices to make his points. He is gently correcting the guests for their constant concern about their own honor and prestige.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

This reversal is at the heart of the kingdom: human pride leads to downfall, but humility disposes one to receive God’s exaltation.

Being a parable, we know this story has another, higher meaning: It looks beyond table etiquette to the heavenly realm, where God alone assigns places. Those who presume on their righteousness risk humiliation; those who recognize their need for mercy will be honored.

Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.

Turning to the host, Jesus challenges the custom of inviting only those who can reciprocate. Such “generosity” is self-serving.

Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.

Jesus calls for true generosity — giving to those unable to repay.

Welcoming the poor and marginalized, even at the cost of one’s reputation, mirrors God’s own gratuitous love.

For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Pharisees may not have agreed with the admonition to open themselves to the poor and needy, but they would have clearly understood his statement about reward at the time of resurrection. Unlike the Sadducees, who only accepted what was written in sacred Scripture, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection.

Status before God at the resurrection depends not on social conventions but on faith and mercy lived out.

Connections and Themes

Humility as the path to God. Together, this week’s readings point us toward humility as the posture that opens us to God’s grace. In our first reading, Sirach counsels that the greater a person becomes, the more they must humble themselves before God if they wish to find true favor. In the gospel, Jesus illustrates humility at a Sabbath meal, teaching that one who takes the lowest place will be honored by God. Our second reading lifts our gaze to the heavenly Jerusalem, reminding us that it is not through pride or status but through humble approach to Christ, the mediator of the new covenant, that we draw near to God’s glory.

The rhythm of grace. If humility is the path that opens us to God’s grace, then generosity is its natural fruit. Sirach follows his counsel for humility before God by commending care for the poor, showing that true greatness lies in lifting others up. Almsgiving becomes a healing act, not merely a duty, but a response to grace received. Jesus deepens this vision at the Sabbath meal, urging his host to invite those who cannot repay — the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. This radical hospitality reflects the very heart of God, who gives without condition and welcomes without measure. The Letter to the Hebrews lifts our gaze even higher, revealing the ultimate banquet: the communion of heaven. Here, no one enters by merit or status. All are welcomed by God’s gracious invitation.

In this sacred rhythm — receiving from God, giving to others, and being drawn into communion — we are gradually transformed. Humility becomes the soil in which generosity grows, and generosity becomes the path that leads us deeper into the mystery of divine love.