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reading of the letter of St Paul to the
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Philippians Brothers have the same mind
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among yourselves that exists in Christ
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Jesus Jesus Christ existing in a Divine
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condition did not make being equal to
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God a usurpation but he emptied himself
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assuming the condition of a slave and
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becoming equal to man found with a human
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appearance he humbled himself becoming
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obedient to the point of death even
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death on a cross therefore God exalted
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him above all and gave him the name that
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is above every name so at the name of
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Jesus every knee should bow in heaven on
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Earth and under the Earth and every
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tongue Proclaim Jesus Christ is Lord to
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the glory of God the Father word of the
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proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St Luke Glory To You
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Lord at that time a man who was at the
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table said to Jesus happy is he who eats
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bread in the kingdom of God Jesus
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answered a man gave a great banquet and
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invited many people at the time of the
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banquet he ordered his servant to say to
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the guests come for everything is ready
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but everyone one by one began to make
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excuses the first he said I have bought
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a field and I must go and see it I beg
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you to accept my apology the third said
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I just got married and so I can't go the
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servant came back and told his boss
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everything bring here the poor the
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crippled the Blind and the lame the
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servant said Lord what you order to be
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done has been done and there is still
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room and force people to come here so
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that my house will be full for I tell
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you none of those who have been invited
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will taste my banquet word of Salvation
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Lord dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
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imagine a powerful King who in a
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surprising gesture removes his Crown
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leaves his throne takes off his Royal
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robes and puts on the rags of a servant
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not out of obligation not out of force
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but out of love this extraordinary image
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is presented to us in St Paul's letter
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to the Philippians where we contemplate
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the deepest mystery of our faith the
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stripping of Christ he had Divine status
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writes Paul but he did not cling to his
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equality with God what an impressive
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statement the son of God equal to the
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father in majesty and Glory freely chose
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to empty himself it's as if the ocean
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decided to limit itself to a drop of
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water or the sun chose to shine as just
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a small candle Paul continues he took
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the form of a servant being made in the
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likeness of men think about the humility
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of this Choice the creator of the
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universe the one who put the stars in
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their place chose to become part of his
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own creation not as a mighty king not as
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a feared ruler but as a servant and it
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didn't stop there he humbled himself
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even more becoming obedient to the point
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of death even death on a cross the cross
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an instrument of torture and humiliation
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reserved for the most vile criminals
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this is the lowest point of the
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stripping of Christ the author of Life
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submitting himself to the most shameful
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for love for you for me for all of us
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and this is where our Gospel reading
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intertwines perfectly with this theme of
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self-emptying and divine invitation
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Jesus tells the parable of a man who
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prepared a great banquet and invited
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many people what a wonderful picture of
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God's love he prepares a feast and
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invites us to participate but what
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happens everyone one after another
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started making making excuses one bought
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a field and needs to see it another
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purchased five teams of oxen and is
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going to try them out a third just got
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married everyone has their excuse
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everyone has something apparently more
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important to do isn't it amazing how
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this Parable still resonates today how
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many times do we also have our excuses
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for not responding to God's invitation
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we are too busy with work with social
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commitment ments with our search for
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success and fulfillment the banquet is
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ready but we are too busy to attend the
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banquet owner then does something
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surprising instead of canceling the
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feast he sends his servant to invite the
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poor the maimed the Blind and the lame
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and when there is still room he orders
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people to go along the paths and
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shortcuts and force people to enter what
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a wonderful inversion Those whom Society
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less important are now the guests of
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honor at the Kingdom banquet those who
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have nothing to offer in return are the
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first to experience the host's
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generosity this Parable is a perfect
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reflection of what Paul tells us about
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Christ just as Jesus emptied himself and
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humbled himself God exalts those the
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world considers humble and insignificant
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the kingdom banquet is not for the
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self-sufficient but for those who
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recognize their need for God and here is
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the the beauty of the Gospel the same
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Christ who emptied himself for us
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invites us to his banquet he not only
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humbled himself to the point of death on
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the cross but he rose again and prepared
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a place for us at his table but this
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invitation Demands a response we cannot
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be like those first guests so absorbed
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in our own concerns that we miss the
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greatest celebration of all the
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invitation is before us today to abandon
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our self-sufficiency our presumption our
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pride and accept the invitation to the
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kingdom banquet and more than that we
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are called to have the same feelings
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that were in Christ Jesus this means
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that we must also be willing to empty
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ourselves out of love for others we must
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be willing to set aside our status our
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comfort our preferences to serve those
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the world deems less important imagine
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what it would be like if we truly lived
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this way if instead of always seeking to
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climb the social ladder we chose to
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descend to serve If instead of holding
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on to our privileges we chose to share
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them with others if instead of isolating
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ourselves in our comfortable circles we
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chose to extend our table to include the
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marginalized and forgotten this is the
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way of Christ a path that seems crazy in
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the eyes of the world but that leads to
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True exaltation as Paul tells us because
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Christ humbled himself God God highly
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exalted him and gave him the name that
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is above every name my dear brothers and
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sisters today we are faced with a choice
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we may be like the first guests in the
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parable so preoccupied with our own
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lives that we miss the kingdom banquet
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or we can follow Christ's example
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choosing the path of self-emptying of
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service of sacrificial love and as we
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make this Choice let us remember that we
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are not alone the same Christ who
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emptied himself for us gives us the
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strength to follow him the same spirit
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that raised him from the dead dwells
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within us empowering us to live this
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radical life of love and service may we
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then respond to the Divine invitation
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with joy and gratitude may we sit at the
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Kingdom table not as reluctant guests
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but as beloved sons and daughters and
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may our presence at this banquet
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transform us more and more into the
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image of the one who emptied himself
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completely out of love for us as Paul
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says let every knee bow and every tongue
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confess Jesus Christ is Lord not just
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with our words but with our entire lives
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to the glory of God the Father
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amen St Michael the Archangel defend Us
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in battle be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil may
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God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
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thou o Prince of the Heavenly Host by
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the power of God cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
