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“Triumph of Christ with Angels and Cherubs”
by Bernardino Lanino, 1570’s
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Reading 1: Philippians 2:5-11
Commentary on Phil 2:5-11
This passage from Philippians is known as the Kenotic Hymn, the song of emptying. As part of this familiar passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Christ empties himself of the complete divinity that is his essence and accepts the human condition. As true man, he suffers the ultimate humiliation of death (on the cross).
The second section of the hymn focuses on God’s resulting actions of exaltation. The Christian sings to God’s great glory in Christ, proclaiming him Lord and Savior. In the context of St. Paul’s instructive letters, this is clearly to be used as (or possibly was already in us as) a liturgical prayer or song. Used in the context of the Lord’s passion and resurrection, it provides a counterpoint to the elevated status of Jesus revealed as the Messiah, the Only Begotten Son of God. The attitude of Christ is one of humility.
CCC: Phil 2:5-8 461; Phil 2:5 520, 1694, 2842; Phil 2:6-11 2641, 2667; Phil 2:6 449; Phil 2:7 472, 602, 705, 713, 876, 1224; Phil 2:8-9 908; Phil 2:8 411, 612, 623; Phil 2:9-11 449, 2812; Phil 2:9-10 434; Phil 2:10-11 201; Phil 2:10 633, 635
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22:26b-27, 28-30ab, 30e, 31-32
R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
Psalm 22 is an individual lament. The psalmist, in unusually passionate terms, describes the devotion of the faithful and the trust that God’s rule over all will be just. The final strophe is a pledge of faithfulness for all generations to come. The emotional tone of this psalm matches that of the Kenotic Hymn from Philippians 2:5-11.
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Gospel: Luke 14:15-24
Commentary on Lk 14:15-24
This story about the dinner and the invited guests from St. Luke’s Gospel (a continuation of the meal he shares with the Pharisees) is an analogy for those of the Jewish faith who reject Jesus as the Messiah. In the parable, all manner of excuses are given by the invitees (representing the Hebrew peoples) for not attending the dinner (representing the heavenly banquet in the Kingdom of God). He tells them as a moral to the story, that those to whom faith in God first was given (the Hebrews) have rejected the Law and the Prophets they hold sacred so others (the Gentiles portrayed in the story as those in "the highways and hedgerows") will enjoy the fulfillment of God's promise.
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Reflection:
We too are invited to the great feast. We were called and asked to come to the Eucharistic Banquet. Jesus tells this familiar story to peers, members of Jewish leadership whom he has been chastising. The Lord rightfully expects these leaders to understand God’s concern for the poor but they are above such “common” things. They would rather remain aloof, hosting lavish dinner parties at which they can debate the minutia of Mosaic Law. They invite itinerant rabbis to join them in order to debate interpretation. The Lord is not amused. He has just told his host that rather than inviting social peers and social leaders to his party (in hopes that his wealthy friends will do the same for him), he should invite the poor and hungry from whom no such reciprocal treatment might be expected.
One of those guests sitting near him just missed the point again, taking Jesus' previous remark as some sort of theological debate as opposed to a corrective statement. The remark, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the
He goes back to his earlier point and tells these high ranking Jewish scholars that the poor and the hungry will be invited first to that great feast in the Kingdom of God and they in turn will be followed by those in the byways (Gentiles) while those first invited will be left outside.
We too are invited to the great feast! We too are called to the Eucharistic celebration, marrying our temporal bodies to the immortal soul of the Lord. We are reminded that entrance to the heavenly feast requires the attitude of Christ which, as St. Paul’s hymn tells us, is one of humility. How could we feel otherwise? We were invited from the byways ourselves. We hope to come before the one who laid down his life for our lives.
The great message provided today is captured in the Kenotic Hymn: Christ emptied himself of his divinity so he would experience human death and thereby save the whole human race from the death to sin. Our attitude must be like his. Today, even as we do our civic duty, we ask for his guidance, that we might follow his example and, in doing so, find our place in the heavenly banquet in our own time.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Triumph of Christ with Angels and Cherubs” by Bernardino Lanino, 1570’s.
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