Gospel in Art: When you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place

European Field, Installation by Antony Gormley, 1993, approx. 40,000 terracotta figures, each 8-26 cm high, St Mary's church, Shrewsbury © Alamy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 31 August 2025
Luke 14:1, 7-14

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honour, saying to them, 'When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honour, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, "Give your place to this person", and then you, with shame, will take the lowest place. 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 honoured in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'

He said also to the man who had invited him, 'When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends, or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbours, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.'

Reflection on the Sculpture Installation

Humility is at the heart of today's Gospel reading, yet it is a quality that is rarely spoken of in our culture, and often misunderstood when it is. Many associate it with weakness, timidity, or self-effacement, like the image of a 'shrinking violet' hiding away, reluctant to step forward. But this is a distortion of true humility. The word itself comes from the Latin humus, meaning earth or ground, and at its core, humility is about being grounded. It is the virtue of recognising the truth about ourselves and the truth about others. A humble person knows their gifts and talents, yet sees them as blessings from God, responding with gratitude rather than self-congratulation. A humble person is also aware of their shortcomings.

Mary is the supreme example of humility. In the opening lines of her Magnificat, she proclaims, 'My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for the Almighty has done great things for me'. She recognises that she is richly blessed, but she makes it clear that this is entirely God's doing. Mary does not diminish herself, nor does she exaggerate her importance. She simply tells the truth about her life: acknowledging the marvels God has worked in her, and directing all glory back to Him. True humility, then, is neither denial of our worth nor inflation of it.

In 1993, Antony Gormley created European Field, an installation of 40,000 small terracotta figures, each hand-moulded by volunteers, which filled the interior of St Mary's Church in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The figures, made from simple clay, stand shoulder to shoulder, each one unique yet part of a vast community. Their material, terra-cotta (literally "fired earth", fired humus) speaks to the words of Genesis: that we are formed from the dust of the ground, uniquely shaped by the hands of God. Gormley's work becomes a quiet meditation on our shared humanity and individuality, a reminder that, despite our differences, we share the same humble origin. In this sense, the installation is a visual parable of humility: to be truly "grounded" is to remember that we are all clay in the Potter's hands, our worth coming not from self-importance, but from the God who lovingly formed us.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-14-1-7-14-2025/