October 27-28, 2007<\/p>\n
30th Sunday of Ordinary Time<\/p>\n
Sir 35: 12-14, 16-18; 2 Tim 4: 6-8, 16-18; Luke 18: 9-14<\/p>\n
Dc. Larry Brockman<\/p>\n
Does God listen to you when you pray?\u00c2\u00a0 Last week, we heard that we should pray persistently.\u00c2\u00a0 This week, we hear that we need to pray sincerely and we need to be humble.\u00c2\u00a0 It is our challenge to put these three together; to pray persistently, and yet, sincerely and humbly each time we pray.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prayer is a relationship.\u00c2\u00a0 It is our relationship played out with God.\u00c2\u00a0 Think about some key relationship that you have for a moment.\u00c2\u00a0 When you communicate with the other person, do you just talk about yourself?\u00c2\u00a0 If your message to them is always about what you do and how great you are, does that relationship flourish?\u00c2\u00a0 On the other hand, if your relationship is one of mutual understanding and sharing, one in which you both share with each other- the good and the bad- a relationship which is honest, humble and open, where you listen as well as talk; chances are it will flourish.\u00c2\u00a0 It will be valued by both parties.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today’s parable says that the Pharisee didn’t go home justified, but the Tax Collector did.\u00c2\u00a0 Why?\u00c2\u00a0 First, because the Pharisee talked just about himself.\u00c2\u00a0 He wasn’t humble, and he didn’t recognize that prayer is a relationship.\u00c2\u00a0 True, he spoke in thanksgiving to God- but unfortunately, there’s a strong flavor of self righteousness in that thanksgiving.\u00c2\u00a0 The Pharisee even served as his own judge- judging himself relative to the Tax Collector- how arrogant.\u00c2\u00a0 But the Tax collector’s prayer was like a good relationship.\u00c2\u00a0 He recognized it was a two way communications.\u00c2\u00a0 He humbly confessed his sins, and asked for mercy.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
There’s a second reason the Tax collector was heard, and the Pharisee was not.\u00c2\u00a0 Jesus cleverly used the Pharisee in this role because the pre-condition for being a Pharisee was a reputation; a history.\u00c2\u00a0 The Pharisee had a reputation of being a spiritual leader, someone who had made it through the challenges of life successfully; someone who was respected and looked up to. \u00c2\u00a0The Tax Collector, on the other hand, was despised.\u00c2\u00a0 I recall the Movie “The Nativity”\u00c2\u00a0 It depicted a Tax Collector squeezing everything out of the people in Mary’s community.\u00c2\u00a0 He was ruthless- he took a family member to be sold in slavery because one poor person could not pay.\u00c2\u00a0 This is the reputation the Tax Collectors had.\u00c2\u00a0 Yet, Jesus says the Tax Collector went home justified and the Pharisee did not.\u00c2\u00a0 Tax Collectors had power and it was easy for them to abuse it.\u00c2\u00a0 Everyone could see their sins.\u00c2\u00a0 But, this Tax Collector knew he was a sinful man.\u00c2\u00a0 His prayer asked for mercy- that was the essence of his prayer.\u00c2\u00a0 The Pharisee neither accepted that he was a sinner; nor did he ask for mercy.\u00c2\u00a0 But he should have because all of us are sinners.\u00c2\u00a0 For some, the sins are obvious- like the tax collector’s.\u00c2\u00a0 For others, the sins can be less public, yet they are surely there.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
For example, a primary sin in our society is self-righteousness.\u00c2\u00a0 We are all called to do God’s will.\u00c2\u00a0 But it is God’s Spirit and grace working in us that affects all things.\u00c2\u00a0 We are only the instruments of that Grace.\u00c2\u00a0 The credit goes to God, not to ourselves.\u00c2\u00a0 In addition, the Pharisee sins by judging people. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0He plays favorites, and he takes pleasure in criticizing others.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
When you are successful in society, it is easy to hide these more subtle sins, just as the Pharisee did.\u00c2\u00a0 They are often sins of omission, separation, and inaction.\u00c2\u00a0 But today, Sirach has some strong words of warning.\u00c2\u00a0 He says that the prayer of the oppressed will be heard\u00c2\u00a0 And then says: “nor will it withdraw until the Most High responds, judges justly, and affirms the right”.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, the sins of the Pharisee, are unrecognized, not confessed, and worst of all- ones for which no mercy has been sought.\u00c2\u00a0 Even these sins are subject to judgment.\u00c2\u00a0 And when one is unrepentant and doesn’t ask for mercy, that’s when the Judgment can be harsh.\u00c2\u00a0 That is the essence of why the Pharisee went away \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNot being justified” in the parable, even though he did all the right things publicly.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The second reading brings up an interesting contrast, one that helps us to understand true humility.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul claims a crown of righteousness based on successfully performing his Mission.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul was imprisoned at the time, and that meant his days were numbered.\u00c2\u00a0 Is Paul’s claim of righteousness the same as the Pharisee’s self righteous prayer?\u00c2\u00a0 Decidedly not.\u00c2\u00a0 You see, Paul’s actions were all about serving other people, not himself.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul wasn’t concerned about fine dress, taking the high places accorded to those who were successful and taking credit himself for appearing to live according to the law.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul was concerned about God’s will for him- preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles; and he did that with vigor. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0He didn’t have a home, but traveled and lived on the run.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul’s example was one of self-giving, not self absorption.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul was looking for that crown in the next world, not this one.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
In CS Lewis’ story “The Great Divorce” the narrator discovers a ravishingly beautiful woman being treated like a queen when he tours heaven.\u00c2\u00a0 He discovers that the woman was a poor maid in her worldly life.\u00c2\u00a0 She spent her life where God had planted her, scrubbing floors, tending children, serving others.\u00c2\u00a0 But in all that time, she prayed constantly to her God- and kept the Faith.\u00c2\u00a0 She had a relationship with God.\u00c2\u00a0 She humbled herself, and as promised, she was glorified in the end.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
October 27-28, 2007 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time Sir 35: 12-14, 16-18; 2 Tim 4: 6-8, 16-18; Luke 18: 9-14 Dc. Larry Brockman Does God listen to you when you pray?\u00c2\u00a0 Last week, we heard that we should pray persistently.\u00c2\u00a0 This week, we hear that we need to pray sincerely and we need to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}