Where will you sit?

Jesus, help me accept whatever seat I get in my new classroom! Amen.

At a fancy dinner, Jesus watched people taking the best seats. He warned them: "The host of the dinner might see another friend and tell you, 'Give him your seat.' Then you'll have to take the worst seat. So take the worst one right away; when your friend sees you, he'll say, 'Here, take a better seat.' Those who take the best will be humbled, but people who are humble will be given great things."

The start of the school year means new teachers, new classrooms -- and new seats. Some teachers try to be fair by seating everyone alphabetically; some let you pick your own seats. Either way, you're nervous until you find out where you're sitting!

This week's Gospel (Luke 14:1,7-14) matches up with that perfectly; it's all about choosing seats. Jesus sees people looking for the best spot at a party. Like kids in new classrooms, some of them probably want to sit with their friends; others want to make sure they have the "best" seats, close to the guy throwing the party.

If this isn't your first year of school, you already know that the teacher often walks around the room, and you can probably see and hear from wherever you sit.

It doesn't really matter if you sit with your friends, either, because you'll get in trouble if you talk during class! So your seat doesn't make much difference.

Jesus pointed out the same thing. The people at the party could pick seats and then end up with different ones; instead of worrying about where they sat, He said, they should worry about treating other people well -- even if it meant giving up a good seat.

Any teacher will tell you that school is about learning, and hanging out with your friends comes second. Jesus' advice was to focus on what's more important -- and remember that He promised good things come from doing that!