Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Partying with Angels

While the first reading from Sirach and the Gospel focus on humility (“Humble yourself . . . and you will find favor with God” [Sirach 3:18] and “go and take the lowest place” [Luke 14:10], with a surprise reversal of the humble being exalted), the reading from Hebrews surprises us in a different way. The author uses apocalyptic imagery to show how much the relationship between God and humanity has changed. He starts with images of fire, storms, and trumpet blasts—images that may remind you of an erupting volcano: something you want to view from very far away. Even God’s words brought fear and trembling.
It may not be surprising that God is beyond human comprehension, but Hebrews says no. God doesn’t want to be so far beyond us that we only approach in fear. Using more images from the end-time, the author gives us a picture of the baptized partying with angels and all the just who have died. And of course God is the host. Let’s look at some of those images to see how our relationship with the Lord has grown.
The heavenly Jerusalem reminds us that the Church is our home—not just our parish church building but the whole community of faith. How “at home” are you with your fellow parishioners? Do you regularly gather with that family for prayer? A church community can be a place to support those who are sick or jobless or depressed. It is also a place to be supported, to see God’s love in action. The angels in Hebrews may be a symbol of that support.
The “firstborn” and “spirits of the just” could remind us of those who went before us and now rest in the Lord. They had their own struggles in life, and now live in glory. They help us to keep our true goal in mind, to remember the real meaning of life, and to look forward to eternal life with hope.
Jesus came to show us how much God loves us and how close God can be. When he shed his blood on the cross (the final sign in our reading), he renewed the covenant with God’s people. So we no longer have to accomplish our salvation; it has already been offered to us by Jesus’ death and resurrection. We accept that gift not just by a verbal statement of faith, but by a life lived as Jesus showed us, in love of God and our neighbor.
Tom Schmidt

Short Version

While the first reading from Sirach and the Gospel focus on humility, with a surprise reversal of the humble being exalted, the reading from Hebrews surprises us in a different way. The author uses apocalyptic imagery to show how much the relationship between God and humanity has changed. He starts with images of fire, storms, and trumpet blasts—images that may remind you of an erupting volcano. Even God’s words brought fear and trembling.
It may not be surprising that God is beyond human comprehension, but Hebrews says no. God doesn’t want to be so far beyond us that we only approach in fear. Using more images from the end-time, the author gives us a picture of the baptized partying with angels and all the just who have died. And of course God is the host. Let’s look at some of those images to see how our relationship with the Lord has grown.
The heavenly Jerusalem reminds us that the Church is our home—not just your parish church building but the whole community of faith. How “at home” are you with your fellow parishioners? A church community can be a place to support those who are sick or jobless or depressed. It is also a place to be supported, to see God’s love in action. The angels in Hebrews may be a symbol of that support.
The “firstborn” and “spirits of the just” could remind us of those who went before us and now rest in the Lord. They had their own struggles in life, and now live in glory. They help us to keep our true goal in mind, eternal life.
Jesus came to show us how much God loves us and how close God can be. When he shed his blood on the cross (the final sign in our reading), he renewed the covenant with God’s people. We accept that gift not just by a verbal statement of faith, but by a life lived as Jesus showed us, in love of God and our neighbor.
Tom Schmidt