The collect for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity speaks of God's grace preventing and following us. In modern English, this use of the verb prevent is archaic and interesting. Here the word is used in the original Latin sense, "come before" (a sense that still exists in some other languages). Beyond that bit of trivia, the real reason to appreciate this collect is that it reminds us that we are surrounded by grace, and that it is only through such divine grace that we can do any good works.
Today's Gospel from Luke 14:1-11 is a passage rich in spiritual applications. In it, we see Christ having the Sabbath meal with a group of Pharisees. This religious and social situation becomes the occasion for two messages to the Pharisees. These two messages still apply to us.First, there is the message taught by Christ's healing of the sick man on a Sabbath. Jesus responds to the man with compassion and points out that an act of compassion takes precedence over our human rules- even if our rules originally have a good devotional purpose. Secondly, in view of human pettiness in seeking social honors, our Lord emphasizes the need for humility. True honor does not come from self-promotion; it comes from a humble attitude rooted in faith. May the divine grace which surrounds us lead us into greater compassion and humility!
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