There is an old saying that to be near the one you love you have to go the other way. It means that if you want to stay happy, solve problems; to be a leader you have to not aspire for it, be always a follower; to be in the top be at the lowest speck. I had a hard time capturing this thought but after a while I have learned that life is really like a wheel and the two ends are the nearest to each other. It means that if you want to be near heaven, you have to keep your feet below the ground. Let us ponder on the three readings for this Sunday to understand it more deeply.
First Reading Sirach 35: 12 - 14, 16 – 18
12 Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it; and do not trust to an unrighteous sacrifice; for the Lord is the judge, and with him is no partiality.
13 He will not show partiality in the case of a poor man; and he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.
14 He will not ignore the supplication of the fatherless, nor the widow when she pours out her story.
16 He whose service is pleasing to the Lord will be accepted, and his prayer will reach to the clouds.
17 The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord; he will not desist until the Most High visits him, and does justice for the righteous, and executes judgment.
18 And the Lord will not delay, neither will he be patient with them, till he crushes the loins of the unmerciful and repays vengeance on the nations; till he takes away the multitude of the insolent, and breaks the scepters of the unrighteous;
Second Reading 2 Timothy 4: 6 - 8, 16 – 18
6 For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
16 At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!
17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading Luke 18: 9 – 14
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others:
10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.'
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Commentary
A Humble Man Waiting and Hoping for God’s Justice
I think this is the very core lesson of the liturgy today. When in fact the first reading gives a very clear detail of a humble yet just man waiting for God to grant his prayer. Soon Sirach assures us that God never delays. God’s eyes are totally in focus to those who are poor. When we say poor here they are the people of miserable situation--the Anawim. We know that their prayers reached God and eventually an answer will be given.
Saint Paul is an example of a just and humble servant who is now at the edge of his trial and soon will be receiving God’s reward for him. He is telling Timothy and generally us, that when a person is very much dependent on the grace of God and is only boasting of God’s power and not of himself, then the crown of rewards await him in glory when it is time.
Now let us concentrate on the Gospel reading according to Saint Luke. Juts this month, we celebrate the feast of Saint Luke as evangelist. I am so thankful for Saint Luke. From the start of the Ordinary Times up to the last Sunday before Christ the King, the readings for Gospel are all taken from Saint Luke. We come close to close with the ideology of Saint Luke and how he presents Christ as a person for the masses.
The Lucan strategy presents a very definite character distinguishable from the Matthean, Mark, and Johannine traditions. The availability of God's forgiveness as locus of Christianity is paramount to most of the chapters in Luke's Gospel. Second to Luke's presentation is the Reveal of God's Kingdom. The urgency to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ is also prevalent in Luke's Gospel. However, the most striking feature of this Gospel which we are reflecting on for the entire year is Jesus' proclamation of redemption and heaven to the poor. As I've said, the poor are represented in this gospel by the publicans, prostitutes, sinners and those outcasts who were rejected by the scribes and pharisees. This Lucan character made even vivid the battle between Jesus and the religious leaders of His time. Thus, the kingdom of God belongs also to those marginalized people.
We have seen also that there are several parables where Jesus gives two oppositional characters. One is of them externally good but internally rotten while the other is superficially condemned but later on justified. Remember the story of two sons who received order from their father. The first one said yes but did not go while the other said no but pursued. There is also a parable told to Simon a pharisee who invited Jesus in a meal. Jesus said that there are two servants who owe their masters the other one is fifty while the other one is five hundred. Which of the two will love him more? We also have the story of two prodigal sons. The first one sinned but repented while the other one never knew he is sinning. There is also a parable of the rich man and Lazarus who are both contrary in character. There are many allegories of Jesus which represents the sinners and the religious leaders. He wants to present that these people who are externally righteous are also sinning against God but never repents.
This Sunday is the apex of this thesis. It is the most obvious of all because Jesus already named directly the characters. One is a pharisee and the other is a tax collector. It would seem that for Jesus those stories mentioned above were not enough to arrest the attention of the religious leaders who are only meticulous with the rituals but do not deal with God in a personal manner. While these people who are rejected by the community are the ones who, because of their nothingness, sincerely talks to god and presents themselves as they are. Jesus is raging war against hypocrisy.
It is the heart and soul of the person that tells if he is just and righteous not the outward appearance. The sacrifices and offerings and obedience to the law are all in vain if it is tainted with selfish motives. Thus Saint Paul only boast of the Lord not of himself. The three readings only gives a very concise teaching--that we can only merit righteousness if we accept that we have nothing to boast in front of our God. It is the only prayer acceptable to heaven. Being on the ground makes us closer to heaven.
Application
Humility in Prayer
The Gospel of Saint Luke gives us practical teachings on how we must pray. Our life must be a prayer. By living a humble and simple life Jesus modeled to us the way a Christian should live. His claim of being equal to the Father while being obedient up to death on the cross. His trials and persecutions, all of them points us to a humble lifestyle of Jesus. We must also pray with all humility. It is very polite that a faithful presents oneself with contrition to God before uttering prayers of requests. Jesus is absolutely a model of a prayerful life and a modest prayer in front of His Father.
The Catholic Church is also represented by the tax collector. We are a community of sinners in need of a God. A community of ill and sick people in need of a doctor. The Church always bow as a dependent entity, so dependent upon God. No other act makes this truth crystal clear than the celebration of Most Holy Eucharist. We recall our sins in the beginning and ask the Lord for pardon and strength. While singing the "Glory to God" we plea again to the Son saying "You who takes away the sins of the world have mercy on us". Then we come us one after the Apostle's Creed and lift our prayers as Prayers of the Faithful where we mention again the forgiveness of our sins. And lastly we sing "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" before receiving the communion. We beat our hearts while kneeling saying "I am not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I shall be healed". The Catholic Church is absolutely a model of humility in prayer.
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