Today’s Mass readings, in the traditional cycle, draw us into the depths of St. Paul’s great intercessory prayer for the Ephesians (Eph. 3:13–21), and Our Lord’s teaching on humility at table (Luke 14:1–11). The harmony between these two passages is striking: both lead the soul to recognize its utter dependence upon God’s grace and the necessity of humility if we are to be rooted in Christ.
St. Paul’s Prayer: Strengthened in the Inner Man
In the Epistle, St. Paul kneels before the Father, “of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3:15). He asks that the faithful be “strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man” and that “Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts.” This prayer is not only apostolic but mystical: Paul desires that Christians be filled to overflowing, “unto all the fullness of God.”
St. John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage, writes:
“Do you see how he again shows the abundance of Christ’s gifts? To be rooted and grounded in love is to be firmly fixed, not to waver, not to be moved from that foundation.” (Hom. on Ephesians 7).
This rooting in divine charity is not superficial sentiment, but the very structure of the Christian life. Origen similarly notes that Paul prays not for outward blessings, but for the interior fortitude of the soul, “that the hidden man of the heart may be filled with Christ, so that from this inner plenitude all works may flow.”
The Gospel: Humility at the Table
In the Gospel, Christ heals on the Sabbath and then turns to instruct His host about humility: “When thou art bidden, go, sit down in the lowest place … for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:10–11).
St. Augustine reflects that this teaching is not merely about social courtesy, but about the eternal banquet:
“The lower you are willing to go in humility, the higher God will raise you up in His kingdom. For humility prepares the way for glory, just as pride prepares the way for ruin.” (Sermon 351).
St. Gregory the Great adds:
“Our Redeemer teaches us to humble ourselves, because He Himself humbled Himself, even unto death. And He who humbled Himself to death upon the Cross, teaches us humility by His word, and confirms it by His example.” (Homilies on the Gospels 36).
A Thread of Grace and Humility
The union of these two readings lies in the recognition that God alone is the source of strength and exaltation. Paul prays for an infusion of divine might, not human achievement; Christ exhorts us to seek the lowest place, awaiting the invitation of the Master. The Christian life, then, is marked by a paradox: the deeper we go in humility, the more we are filled with divine plenitude.
St. Remigius, whom we commemorate today, lived this reality. Though bishop of Rheims and baptizer of Clovis, King of the Franks, he was remembered above all for his humility and zeal for souls. His life embodied what St. Paul desired for his flock: to be rooted in love and filled with the fullness of God, not in earthly greatness but in hidden sanctity.
Reflection for the Soul
As we move through these final weeks after Pentecost, the Church quietly teaches us that all true growth in grace depends on humility. The banquet is not ours to claim, nor the strength ours to muster; both are gifts of the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit. To take the lowest place in this world is to open ourselves to the infinite richness of God, who “is able to do all things more abundantly than we ask or understand, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. 3:20).
Let us therefore pray with Paul: that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, and that being rooted in love, we may comprehend with all the saints the breadth, length, height, and depth of His mercy. And let us heed Christ’s counsel: seek the lowest place, that He may raise us to the eternal banquet of His glory.