Coming In Last Place

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





I have to tell you, I wasn't sure which of the readings I was going to speak about today.  In the first reading, Paul is writing to the Philippians and telling them that he doesn't know if he wants to live or die.  He says that if he lives it would be for their benefit but if he died he would be with Christ.  Keeping in mind that I am not a Biblical scholar by any stretch of the imagination, I have to say that I do not think that for a Christian we should choose between life and death.  We should always choose life because every moment of life that passes is a moment that can be given over to the work of bringing ourselves and other people to Christ.  Every moment of life is a gift from God from birth to natural death. 

Today is my birthday, 66 years ago I was born in Chicago Illinois and I was a premature baby.  I did not go home until Christmas Eve of 1952 when my weight hit that magic five-pound point where they figured my lungs were now mature enough so that an incubator was no longer required.  So, since the beginning of my life, I have hovered around the zero percentile in many things.  In my grammar school years, I was treated poorly by my peers and until around I turned twenty-five I considered myself a second-class human.  I know today, of course, that I am not second-class, I am rather the son of my father, an honest working man who instilled in me a desire to be self-sufficient.  My life has been a series of "also ran" outcomes and that has made me what I am today. I have empathy for those around me.  I also have a sense of humility which is what Jesus says we should have.  Humility is in short supply in this world of ours.  If we practiced humility and realized that we are what God sees us as and nothing more or less our world would be much happier. 

So, as I begin my journey to year 67, just 365 days from now, I ask you to pray for me.  I pray for all those who take time to read my words.  Thank you and God Bless!