Take a look around us

22nd Sunday Of Ordinary Time, Year C

The Gospel today involves a parable about a wedding feast and Jesus teaches us about humility and love, qualities which should define our Christian lives.

Imagine that you are invited to a wedding reception, the wedding hall is full of nicely decorated tables and chairs. Your first thought is ‘where am I going to sit?’ It is unlikely that your place is on the top table (unless you are immediate family) so probably you would choose a table furthest away and wait for someone to call you to another table. Today Jesus is not teaching about etiquette but is teaching about how important humility is in our Christian lives, and how we can find true happiness at the heavenly banquet.

Jesus uses a wedding banquet to explain what he observed when invited for a meal at the house of one of the leading Pharisees where he noticed they were choosing the best places at the table. He warns guests to wait before taking their places at the table just in case they will be asked to move if someone more important arrives (it would be very embarrassing). He gives advice on how to find your true place in the Kingdom of God. Jesus advises hosts not to invite people who would most certainly repay the dinner invitation. Instead invite the people who cannot repay you. The poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind because this is where real blessings will be found as we will be rewarded in heaven. Jesus is telling us that genuine humility leads to a deeper love of God and respect for each other, it is what the Church calls “the preferential option” for the poor. Christians are called to care for the poor because God cares for the poor. The Gospel asks us to think especially of the marginalised in our society, asylum seekers, refugees, prisoners, do I look down on them? Do I consider myself as being better than them? Jesus tells us that we are all equal in God’s Kingdom, and in seeking to be humbled we will enjoy being exalted. Lord, teach me to be humble in everything I do and not to be discriminatory towards others less fortunate than myself.

A reading from the Gospel of Luke (Lk 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 honour at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honour. 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 neighbours, 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why?
  3. Today’s gospel teaches us humility and love for those who are in need, we have a moral obligation to help the less fortunate members of our society without seeking rewards for ourselves. Think about how you and your family can carry out this obligation by doing good deeds for others.  
  4. Pope Francis says that ‘humility’ alone opens us up to the experience of truth, of authentic joy, of knowing what matters and without humility we are ‘cut off’ from understanding God and ourselves. Pray this week that you may follow the perfect example of humility Mary, who recognised where true greatness came from. Let us pray like Mary. “The Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.” 
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this Gospel. The environment helps, so before you start prepare
    i. The Bible reading from St Luke (Lk14: 1, 7-14)
    ii. A candle
    iii. Cover the table with a green cloth
    v. A computer/laptop with the readings and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested).
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊 

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t think too much of ourselves. If we think we are always the best and most important person at the party, most probably we will end up being embarrassed! Let’s listen to what Jesus said. 

  • Jesus doesn’t want us to think that we are so important that we forget to think of Him, and forget to think of others
  • Jesus wants us to be humble, it is through God’s strength that we are able to do great things
  • Three balloons/balloon pump
  • Marker pen
  • String/ribbon

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was invited to a banquet, he was watching everyone who was invited to see where the people sat at the dinner table. Some people thought they were important, so they chose to sit in the more important places. Jesus saw that they were proud, so he taught them about being humble. We should not be proud. We should not show off about how good we are at football or dancing or whatever our talent is. We shouldn’t show off to our friends about having the latest toys or clothes. God knows how important we are without us showing off.

Take one of your balloons and start to blow it up. As you blow more and more air into the balloon the larger it gets. Sometimes when we are proud, we are like the balloon we get full of our own importance, we think we are great and we expect everyone else to think so too. Maybe it’s because we have the best toys or scored the most goals or you are the best singer in the choir. If we put too much air into the balloon what will happen? It will burst! Jesus warns us that if we are too proud and think we are very important then we are headed for a fall, eventually something will happen to embarrass us. Jesus teaches us that it is better to be humble, being humble means that we recognize that God is the one who has given us our gifts and talents as well as all the great things in our lives such as our family and friends. He gives us these gifts because he loves us. Being humble also means learning to share our gifts with others. Being humble is not the same as being unimportant, God lives in all of us, so we are all special and important in God’s eyes. God wants us to use our talents to help the poor, the lonely, the sick those children who are less fortunate than us. 

Think about how you can be humble and use your talents to treat others better. Blow up the balloons and write one word on each balloon which describes how you can help others. For example, phone a friend who is sick. Collect some food items for the food bank. Attach a ribbon or string to the balloon, you can give them to someone special. In this way you are showing them that you care, and that God loves them.

Listen to the song; Made for this .

Sign of the Cross.

Jesus, help us not to be proud, help us to be humble so that we can use the talents and gifts that you gave us to help the poor, the sick and the lonely. Remind us that our abilities are a gift from you and that you are the one who deserves the praise. Amen

In the Gospel today Jesus uses another parable to teach his followers about being humble and caring for the needs of others. The parable is about being invited to a wedding banquet (feast). 

  • God honours those people who are humble, a person who is not proud or thinks of themselves as very important
  • Jesus tells us to welcome the poor and the needy
  • A laptop

Jesus was invited to share a meal at the house of a leading Pharisee. In Jesus’ days Pharisees were religious leaders who studied God’s law and knew it very well. They also dressed in fancy robes to make themselves stand out among the people, they thought they were very important. 

Jesus told them a parable as he noticed that the Pharisees chose the best places at the table, and they didn’t think of the needs of others. The story makes it clear that it is best to sit at the lowest place instead of the place of honour. Jesus saw that some people thought they were very important and that they sat in the best places. They were being proud and so Jesus taught them about being humble. We are proud when we think that we are more important than other people and that we deserve to have better things. When we look down on others because we think that we are better than them, if we think in this way too often, then we even think that God is not so important also! Being humble is the best way to act when invited to a wedding feast, it is better to choose the lowest seats. Being humble means knowing that we really are not all that important, even if we are better at some things than other people or if we have more money or better clothes or toys. It means that we know that God gave us these things so that we can put them to good use, that we can help the poor and those less fortunate than ourselves. Jesus wants us to feel proud when we help others, God blesses those who welcome the poor and the outcast. When we care for the poor and help those in need then we make God’s love present in the world. Someone who lived a very humble life and helped the poor is St. Teresa of Calcutta you can read all about this incredible nun who dedicated her life to God and to helping the poor and the sick in India. Just go to the Heroes section. Her feast day is 5th September.  

On your laptop you can watch this short video all about St. Teresa of Calcutta

Also, you can listen to the song; We are the world .

Sign of the cross.

O loving and caring God of all, each one of us is special in your eyes. Help us to be humble, not proud or a show- off. Help us to work together to make the world a better place for everyone, help us to learn to share our gifts with the poor and needy. Amen

Gospel in Symbols Sunday 22Download

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.