Daily Catholic Lectio
Sat, 31 October 2026
XXX Week in Ordinary Time
Phil 1:18-26. Lk 14:1, 7-11
Come Up Higher!
“When the first place is not something we seek, but something given to us, we receive true honour and dignity.”
The meal at the house of a Pharisee becomes at the same time the setting for a mighty work—the healing of the man with dropsy—and for Jesus’ teaching on humility.
Jesus carefully observes the people, the surroundings, what is happening, and how people behave. This is a sign of social intelligence. He uses what He learns through careful observation and responds accordingly.
On the same day that Jesus is invited to the Pharisee’s house, others are also invited. They seek the places of honour and sit there. Perhaps some of them wanted to sit close to Jesus.
What counts as a preferred seat depends on the place. On buses, trains, and airplanes, window seats are often preferred. In cinemas, the back rows may be considered better. At banquets and public functions, the front-row seats are usually regarded as places of honour.
Why do we seek the first place? First, because of pride. We naturally tend to feel that we are greater or better than others. When we come close to another person, our mind begins to compare us with them, often without our awareness. Pride is one expression of this comparison. Second, we sometimes search for our value outside ourselves, through the approval and acceptance of others. We allow other people to determine our worth. Third, there is the fear of being humiliated or ignored. This fear can lead to self-assertion.
What does Jesus teach us?
(a) Do not take the first place by yourself. You may end up being put to shame in front of others.
(b) When the first place is given to you, do not refuse it. You may then receive honour in the presence of others.
The Gospel concludes with the wisdom saying: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Those who live with the attitude, “I expect nothing, and I refuse nothing,” gain greater value not merely in the eyes of others, but in their own eyes.
Being humiliated at a banquet, having our name omitted from an invitation, being forgotten in a vote of thanks, seeing honour given to someone less deserving, allowing another person to take credit for our work, or simply being ignored—these experiences can leave wounds within us if we allow them to. What matters most is not that we are valued in the eyes of others, but that we live with dignity in our own eyes.
If the value given to us by others is 100, but our self-worth is 0, our life becomes miserable. Even if the value given by others is 0, but our self-worth is 100, we can still live as winners.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A Yesni Prays Initiative
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