August 28, 2022
“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.”... “When you hold a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers...rather when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.”
Combining the reading of Sirach and Luke, we begin by seeking to be humble and then serve the needy among us. The beatitudes speaks of humility as a gift. Micha tells us to seek justice, love tenderly and walk humbly with God. How can I put this into practice? I begin with my attitude toward others, especially with those depending on me to discover God's love. Like the good Samaritan, I can try to respond to the need I find. Perhaps I will not just give a gift to a hungry person, a few dollars, but invite myself to sit and have that small meal or coffee with him, acknowledging him or her as a child of God. Hard? Try it.
by Rev. William J. Reilly