"Two people went up to the Temple to pray"
Luke 18: 9-14
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102322.cfm
For the last four Sunday’s Jesus has given us a kind of mini- catechism on prayer in the Gospels we’ve heard. He teaches us to pray with faith, even as small as a mustard seed (Lk 17: 5-10). That we must pray with gratitude in our heart, like the one leper returned to Jesus (Lk 17: 11-19). That we must be persistent in our prayer like the widow who pesters the heartless judge (Lk 18: 1-8) and today we hear that we must pray with humility before God, like the repentant tax collector in (Lk 18: 9-14).
The challenge in prayer, however, is that we often look
at ourselves and minimize the truth we see.
It might be about our weight or a statement I’ve made that some thought
offensive. It could be an opinion I have that really is prejudiced. What about
gossip about others? That is, unless we admire the Pharisee in this Sunday’s
Gospel, the prayer of “Mr. Perfect,” with his halo was on a too tight, we know
that the prayer of the tax collector is more genuine before God.
The lesson of today’s story from Jesus is obvious. Don’t be proud in our prayer before God but
humble as we pray. We are called to admit the truth about our lives, about the
choices we’ve made, about the words we’ve said, or some action I committed, or
the constant habit that I feel I always have to be right and so I tend to
question or disagree with everyone who doesn’t see things my way. To know our
limitations and our gifts and to admit where I fall short is fundamental to our
prayer before God. We pray with honesty and come before God as we are.
The parable presents a common trait of the Gospel writers
who present Pharisees in a negative light, knowing how Jesus confronted them. They seem to be the constant bane of Jesus in
his call for integrity. Yet, in fact they
were likely closer to Jesus’ own teaching than distant from it. Our Lord did
not criticize the basic content of their teaching as such but only how
misguided it was and how they themselves did not live up to what they taught,
yet presented themselves in a way that would appear otherwise in their display
of hypocrisy.
So, the scene is powerful in its right context. When Jesus states, “the two men went up to
the Temple to pray,” he refers to what the folks of his time would
understand. This was no private visit to
a Church; the two of them alone, one in front and the other in the back.
The Temple was a busy, noisy, crowded space so those who
prayed did so in full view and earshot of others. One would not pray silently but out loud so
others could hear. The Pharisee is
boasting of his perfection and certainly some could hear well what he was
claiming. As Jesus states, he “spoke this prayer to himself.” He may have thought he was addressing God but
in truth God was not impressed by his boasting. So, in essence as comical as it
sounds he was praying to himself.
The population generally looked to these gate keepers for
both example and leadership. They dressed with certain dignity and cleanliness;
they carried with them, attached to their outer garments, symbols of the Jewish
faith – maybe we could say a kind of religious habit.
Yet, in the laws of diet and cleanliness, Sabbath
regulations, and other burdensome legalities, and the near slavish following of
it, they exaggerated the importance of such man made laws to the detriment of
the sacred law of love, humility, and charity which God asked of his people in
the original Covenant. The Pharisees
suffered from too much emphasis on external appearance which created a kind of
spiritual blindness to the deep relationship of love that God was seeking. So
we hear of their self-aggrandizement, their superior righteous attitude, and
self-righteous judgment of others.
As he boasts his prayer before God, while adjusting his
halo properly, he claims that all his righteous success was of his own
making. Yet, we know that in humility we
admit that all good in our life is gift from God above. Virtue is God’s
business oas we respond with an open heart to his grace within us.
By contrast an equally unpopular figure appears; a tax
collector. Generally despised by the
population for their greedy way of collecting taxes and the Roman occupiers
they represented. Now, unlike the
Pharisee, here’s one guy who couldn’t possibly recognize his sin. Yet, to all who heard this story for the
first time, he became, like the Good Samaritan, the one who got it right! As he
spoke in his way, “Lord, have mercy on me,” others may have heard. He names no one else; he doesn’t even call
out his specific sin, but recognizes that the choices he has made and the
direction of his life is not of God.
His prayer was simple, deeply sincere, humble and
truthful. His only desire, as he “stood
off at a distance” from the Pharisee who stood and proudly proclaimed his
goodness, the tax collector “would not even raise his eyes to heaven.” He prayed from his heart: “O God be merciful
to me a sinner.” It wasn’t what he had
done right, but how he prayed that mattered.
To be justified means to be in right relationship with
God; to be in proper Covenant order and goodness before God. True humility is the key here it seems. Like
the tax collector we are taught how to pray with honesty and humility. “God,
this is who I am, with all my faults, sins, and blemishes. I haven’t been what you call me to be so I ask
in all humility for your mercy, that I can start again.”
The tax collector didn’t grovel or think of himself as
worthless. Yet, he was realistic and
honest about his own sinfulness and accepted responsibility for his less than
virtuous behavior. This is true
conversion and a prayer that is heard and answered by God.
What an ideal application for the sacrament of Reconciliation. When we go to confession we stand before God
not as the Pharisee but as the tax collector.
Honestly admitting our sin, out loud but heard only by the priest, we
know that this truthful assessment of my life choices will receive God’s mercy
like the leper, like the tax collector and we move forward with new hope.
So this leaves us with rich lessons on prayer: pray with faith, no matter how small. Pray with gratitude in your heart for blessings received, begun primarily
through the death and resurrection of Christ.
Pray with persistence and
don’t give up. Pray with humility and realism before the loving
God of mercy and redemption.
Faith, Gratitude, Persistence, and Humility. Every Eucharistic celebration contains these
qualities in our participation. May God
give us eyes and hearts to see this.
O God be merciful to us.
Almighty ever-living God,
increase our faith, hope and charity,
and make us love what you command,
so that we may merit what you promise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
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