I feel blessed to admit there is very little need for comment in today’s readings. They speak for themselves!

Do you mind if I simply repeat part of what you have already heard or read? The simple wisdom of the words speaks to the heart of us!

The first reading from Ecclesiasticus, one of the Wisdom Books of the Hebrew Bible, counsels:

My son, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved than a lavish giver. The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord, for great though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the homage of the humble. (Sir. 3:17- 21)

Let those words sink in like an anointing of precious ointment. Don’t be afraid of the assurance they express. For from deep within us we know the truth they express. And as Holy Scripture assures us, “The truth will set us free” (Jn. 8:32).

Truth is an empowerment, a trusted companion. It will accompany us as we travel.

The second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of where that journey leads us -- to God, to Jesus, and the saints. Our destination is nothing less than that!

Finally, the Gospel passage speaks again of a sense of reality with regard to oneself. Don’t put yourself in the higher place at a banquet. Know your place! That is to say, ‘Stay among the ordinary, the also-ran, the down-to-earth!’ That acknowledged truth, as I have already indicated, will set you free to welcome better things if, in time, they present themselves!
There is a lot of simple wisdom inherent in today’s readings. Worth pondering!