Tenth Sunday of Summer
Gospel Reading
When you are invited to a banquet, do not sit in the first place, lest someone more important, who has also been invited by the one who invited you both, comes and says to you: give him this seat, and then, to your confusion, you will go down to the last seat.
When you are invited, go and sit down in the last place, so that the one who invited you will say to you: my friend, come up higher. Then you will be honoured in front of those at the table with you: for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. When you give dinner or supper, don't call your friends, your brothers, your parents, your rich neighbours, lest perhaps they in their turn give you back what they have received from you. When you have a feast, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame and the blind. You will be glad that they have nothing to give you back.
When you are invited to a banquet, do not sit in the first place, lest someone more important, who has also been invited by the one who invited you both, comes and says to you: give him this seat, and then, to your confusion, you will go down to the last seat.
When you are invited, go and sit down in the last place, so that the one who invited you will say to you: my friend, come up higher. Then you will be honoured in front of those at the table with you: for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. When you give dinner or supper, don't call your friends, your brothers, your parents, your rich neighbours, lest perhaps they in their turn give you back what they have received from you. When you have a feast, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame and the blind. You will be glad that they have nothing to give you back.
'Nozze di Cana' by Paolo Veronese, 1562-1563.