Aug 23, 2025 Written by 

Head and unfortunate, at the Eucharistic table

Being himself and be different. Neighborhood road

(Lk 14:1.7-14)

 

The Bible often presents Salvation under the image of a banquet in which God himself participates alongside man.

At the table of a "righteous" one did not sit immediately arriving: you had to stick to a strict label - because of class hierarchies absolutely to be respected.

At the center the persons of regard, then the owner; then all the others, but in order: according to social position, religious function, possessed wealth.

Clumsiness and complacency of vanity, the Lord evaluates them. Smoke volutes, strident especially in the case of the Eucharistic Banquet [v.1: «eating bread»; v.8: «wedding feast»].

And the way in which Jesus speaks at the Table is surprising: He imposes himself, reproaches, suggests.

Finally He begins to blame the one who "invited" him [vv.12-14: «this is not how you have to choose the guests...»]. The effect is lashing.

Yet his is not a lesson in etiquette, nor an exhortation to common sense; much less of opportunism.

During the breaking of the Bread, Christ is not an occasional guest, but the amphitryon, the master of the House [here already worried about the possible failure of his proposal].

The banquet of Lk 14 is precisely setting for the sacred Banquet in which everyone is simple summoned - by vocation (not by merit). In fact, the recurring term is what some texts palely translate with "invited" while the Greek ‘kalèo’ means ‘[I] call': the «called».

Here it is necessary that notables and bystanders who willingly participate to show off immediately repent.

Not only must they stay away from grabbing, but they must also keep away from pathetic rush to occupy strategic positions.

 

With the image of the Eucharistic Banquet, Lk presents the world of relationships as God imagined it - reign where the Creator has «called» all his sons.

"Norm" between family members is not appropriation, nor some catwalk that inflates (only some) of self-respect.

Broken Bread regulates behavior in the sense of Gratuitousness.

It’s Food of life not degrading, but humanizing: mutual recognition, dialogue, love, shared knowledge...

Food for a non-fierce life - despite the criteria of the ancient world may tend to infiltrate again.

Desire to accumulate and get noticed leads out of the logic of the unconditional invitation.

Arrogant pace of the primactors who sit on the throne to overcome and stand out - to be served first, better and with more abundance than the others - will soon be unmasked and overturned (vv.9-11).

 

With the drafting of the Gospel of Lk (mid-80’s) we are already in a time where disagreements explode over issues of precedence!

Problem perhaps unchanged, that in fact it’s not resolved by moving back two or three places (vv.8-9) but reversing the scale of nomenklature (vv.10-11).

In short, the assembly of sons helps everyone to converge; it cannot be  accomplice of those who transform the world into exteriority, position and business.

Instead, it is Love that conquers the world. It is the unconditional gift that shakes, moves, conquers; it preludes and reflects the Mystery.

In the transformation of one’s own goods into encounter, relationship and life of others, the source of joy, of the completeness of being, springs up: different happiness; anticipation of Resurrection.

Divine life not behind the clouds or at the end of history, but even now. Because the sin’s condition doesn’t cancel the plan of salvation.

In this way, different faces and circumstances become sacraments of Grace, Love so open that no human narrowness could annihilate.

Then being yourself and being different will be path of closeness, able to raise people and dilate-motivate relationships.

 

 

[22nd Sunday in O.T. (year C)  August 31, 2025]

338 Last modified on Sunday, 31 August 2025 12:51
don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

The Church, having before her eyes the picture of the generation to which we belong, shares the uneasiness of so many of the people of our time (Dives in Misericordia n.12)
Avendo davanti agli occhi l'immagine della generazione a cui apparteniamo, la Chiesa condivide l'inquietudine di tanti uomini contemporanei (Dives in Misericordia n.12)
Addressing this state of mind, the Church testifies to her hope, based on the conviction that evil, the mysterium iniquitatis, does not have the final word in human affairs (Pope John Paul II)
Di fronte a questi stati d'animo la Chiesa desidera testimoniare la sua speranza, basata sulla convinzione che il male, il mysterium iniquitatis, non ha l'ultima parola nelle vicende umane (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
Jesus reminds us today that the expectation of the eternal beatitude does not relieve us of the duty to render the world more just and more liveable (Pope Francis)
Gesù oggi ci ricorda che l’attesa della beatitudine eterna non ci dispensa dall’impegno di rendere più giusto e più abitabile il mondo (Papa Francesco)
Those who open to Him will be blessed, because they will have a great reward: indeed, the Lord will make himself a servant to his servants — it is a beautiful reward — in the great banquet of his Kingdom He himself will serve them [Pope Francis]
E sarà beato chi gli aprirà, perché avrà una grande ricompensa: infatti il Signore stesso si farà servo dei suoi servi - è una bella ricompensa - nel grande banchetto del suo Regno passerà Lui stesso a servirli [Papa Francesco]
At first sight, this might seem a message not particularly relevant, unrealistic, not very incisive with regard to a social reality with so many problems […] (Pope John Paul II)
A prima vista, questo potrebbe sembrare un messaggio non molto pertinente, non realistico, poco incisivo rispetto ad una realtà sociale con tanti problemi […] (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
At first sight, this might seem a message not particularly relevant, unrealistic, not very incisive with regard to a social reality with so many problems […] (Pope John Paul II)
A prima vista, questo potrebbe sembrare un messaggio non molto pertinente, non realistico, poco incisivo rispetto ad una realtà sociale con tanti problemi […] (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
There is work for all in God's field (Pope Benedict)
C'è lavoro per tutti nel campo di Dio (Papa Benedetto)
The great thinker Romano Guardini wrote that the Lord “is always close, being at the root of our being. Yet we must experience our relationship with God between the poles of distance and closeness. By closeness we are strengthened, by distance we are put to the test” (Pope Benedict)
Il grande pensatore Romano Guardini scrive che il Signore “è sempre vicino, essendo alla radice del nostro essere. Tuttavia, dobbiamo sperimentare il nostro rapporto con Dio tra i poli della lontananza e della vicinanza. Dalla vicinanza siamo fortificati, dalla lontananza messi alla prova” (Papa Benedetto)
The present-day mentality, more perhaps than that of people in the past, seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to exclude from life and to remove from the human heart the very idea of mercy (Pope John Paul II)
La mentalità contemporanea, forse più di quella dell'uomo del passato, sembra opporsi al Dio di misericordia e tende altresì ad emarginare dalla vita e a distogliere dal cuore umano l'idea stessa della misericordia (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
«Religion of appearance» or «road of humility»? (Pope Francis)
«Religione dell’apparire» o «strada dell’umiltà»? (Papa Francesco)

Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 1 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 2 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 3 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 4 Due Fuochi due Vie - Vol. 5 Dialogo e Solstizio I fiammiferi di Maria

duevie.art

don Giuseppe Nespeca

Tel. 333-1329741


Disclaimer

Questo blog non rappresenta una testata giornalistica in quanto viene aggiornato senza alcuna periodicità. Non può pertanto considerarsi un prodotto editoriale ai sensi della legge N°62 del 07/03/2001.
Le immagini sono tratte da internet, ma se il loro uso violasse diritti d'autore, lo si comunichi all'autore del blog che provvederà alla loro pronta rimozione.
L'autore dichiara di non essere responsabile dei commenti lasciati nei post. Eventuali commenti dei lettori, lesivi dell'immagine o dell'onorabilità di persone terze, il cui contenuto fosse ritenuto non idoneo alla pubblicazione verranno insindacabilmente rimossi.