Readings, September 2, 2007

Sirach
Chapter 3 17 1 My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. 18 Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. 20 What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. 28 The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man's joy. 29 2 Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins.

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation

Son, give credit to The Programmer for your programming successes.  People love humility more than gifts.  The more you have, the more you should be grateful to The Programmer, who will download help for you.  Some programming is too difficult for you, so don't try to program things you can't.  The wise man appreciates wisdom reduced to simple sentences, and wants to share them to the attentive.  Do not fight fire with fire, but with water, give generously to atone for your programming errors.

Interpretation

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At first, you couldn't get near The Programmer.  And, when He gave you operating instructions, it was done with such power that it tended to burn out your receivers so painfully that people begged Him not to talk to them.

Now, you can approach The Kingdom of The Programmer into which He, The Program, The Holy Wireless Connector and all the angels and the saints have been uploaded.  Their spirits are now made perfect, and Jesus Christ, The Program in perfect, loving, human form makes you welcome, His Blood having spoken far better for you than did the blood of Abel.

Gospel

Luke
Chapter 14 1 1 On a sabbath he went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. 7 2 He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. 8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, 9 and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. 10 Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." 12 Then he said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. 13 Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; 14 blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Interpretation

Those who accepted a "modern" version of the First Download wanted to find fault with The Program, Jesus Christ, so invited Him to dinner and watched for Him to make a mistake.  When He saw how concerned they were with vanity, He said, "When you are invited out, do not take the place of honor, because you may displaced by a more important person.  You would then have to be embarrassed by being moved to the lowest place.  So, take the lowest place, and then the host may say, "Move up to a higher position."

Everyone who exalts his place (implied, within God's Kingdom) shall be humbled, but the one who humbles himself shall be exalted."

Then, He told the host, 'When you hold a lunch or a dinner, don't invite friends, brothers, relatives, or wealthy neighbors, in case they invite you back and you have repayment (so that you do not suffer a loss of expenses, giving a meal and getting one in return).

"Rather, when you give something away, give it to those who have no chance of repaying you.  (Note the vast difference between this and Aesop's fables, where the lion was kind to the mouse who later chewed through the ropes that bound him, showing the difference of the wisdom of man and Jesus.) Then, you will be truly generous, and The Programmer will notice and be sure that you are repaid when the righteous are uploaded (by implication, into The Kingdom)"