Luke 14:10 with St. Teresa of Ávila
“But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.”
Luke 14:10 is a verse taken from the end of one of Jesus’ parables about a wedding feast. He warns us against coming into a wedding feast and taking a spot at the head table (so to speak), because we may suffer public disgrace when we are asked to move. Rather, Jesus recommends taking the lowest spot and then if the host decides to promote us, we will be honored rather than humiliated.
St. Teresa of Ávila reflects on the radical call to humility found in the parable. In this story, she sees the Lord’s desire that we “recognize our uselessness.” Teresa’s language may seem harsh, but she explains that when we truly see that we are nothing without God, only then we can allow Christ, who is the host of the wedding feast, to be our Lord and judge; “God is more careful than we are, and He knows what is fitting for each one.” We must assume the lowest position and trust God to decide how to distribute his blessings. She also uses an analogy to help us see how futile it is to try and determine our own place: “if individuals have bad voices, the effort to sing does them no good no matter how hard they try.” We must not think ourselves capable of seizing the highest place by sheer effort.
But perhaps what is most striking about Teresa’s insights is that she is not speaking here of material or worldly blessings primarily–but spiritual ones. The seat closest to the Lord, as in the parable, is his to assign. Sometimes we may be frustrated in our prayer life, or feel that God has given greater peace or consolations to other people, even though we are pursuing him as best we can. But Teresa tells us that God’s people “must walk along this path in freedom, placing themselves in the hands of God. If His Majesty should desire to raise us to the position of one who is intimate and shares His secrets, we ought to accept gladly; if not, we ought to serve in the humbler tasks.” Because the good news, according to Teresa, is that if we surrender ourselves to the Lord we will always “remain at the feet of Christ,” no matter what seat we find ourselves in.[1]
