Pope Francis shared breakfast with people in vulnerable situations at the parish of Saint-Gilles, Brussels (Belgium)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is invited to dine at the house of a leading Pharisee. Everyone is watching Him closely, and He watches them just as closely. He notices how the guests quietly compete for the best seats at the table. And it is there, in something as ordinary as choosing a place to sit, that He teaches us about the heart of the Kingdom. “When you are invited, take the lowest place,” He says. In God’s banquet, honor is never seized but always given. True dignity is not claimed but received. The one who grasps for status ends in humiliation, but the one who chooses humility is the one God Himself will lift up. Jesus then goes even deeper: “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.” He pushes us past the comfortable circle of people who can repay us. Real hospitality means setting a table for those who cannot give anything back, because that is exactly how God has welcomed us. It is the same reversal that Charles Dickens captured in A Christmas Carol. Scrooge only finds joy when he discovers that giving is not about keeping accounts, but about opening the heart to those who have nothing. His transformation mirrors the invitation of Christ: to make space for the little ones, and in doing so, to become truly human. And if the Kingdom had a soundtrack, it would not be a triumphal march but something closer to the Agnus Dei of Fauré’s Requiem: gentle, luminous, almost fragile, yet carrying a peace that outlasts everything else. Humility sounds like that—not loud, not competitive, but radiant in its simplicity. The Gospel today leaves us with a question: Whom do I welcome at my table, and am I willing to choose the lowest place, trusting that God Himself will raise me up? • AE

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St. Joseph Catholic Church (Dilley, TX) • Weekend Schedule

Fr. Agustin E. (Parish Administrator)

Saturday, August 30, 2025.

8.30 a.m. Young Adult Retreat «Come Home To The Table»

5.00 p.m. Sacramento de la Confesión

6.00 p.m. Santa Misa.

Sunday, June 15, 2025

8.00 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation

8.30 a.m. Holy Mass.

10.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation.

11.00 a.m. Holy Mass.

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XX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo C)

H. Daumier, Don Quijote y Sancho Panza (s. XIX), óleo sobre lienzo, colección particular.

El Evangelio de hoy nos muestra a Jesús comiendo en casa de un fariseo. Mientras los invitados buscan los primeros lugares, Él aprovecha para dar una lección que no pasa de moda: «El que se enaltece será humillado, y el que se humilla será enaltecido.» Jesús no habla de protocolos ni de buenas maneras, habla del corazón. Nos dice que en la vida cristiana no gana el que empuja para ser visto, sino el que sabe hacerse pequeño, porque así es como Dios lo engrandece. Y todavía nos sorprende más cuando añade: «Cuando des un banquete, invita a los pobres, a los lisiados, a los ciegos.» Es decir, no vivas la generosidad esperando recompensa. La verdadera alegría está en compartir con quienes no pueden devolverte nada. Así se construye el Reino: con un amor gratuito, parecido al de Dios. Me recuerda a un pasaje de El Quijote, cuando Sancho Panza descubre que lo importante no es comer bien en los banquetes de poder, sino conservar la sencillez y la justicia en lo cotidiano. Esa sabiduría humilde es la que Jesús nos propone hoy, y que recuerda el Magnificat tan bonito de Taizé. Su repetición suave y confiada expresa lo que María canta: que Dios derriba del trono a los poderosos y enaltece a los humildes. Al final, la pregunta es sencilla: ¿Estoy dispuesto a vivir desde lo pequeño, desde lo que no brilla, sabiendo que ahí es donde Dios pone su mirada? • AE

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¿Qué lees estos días?

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