BIBLE STUDY # 17
THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER 24, 2010


Gospel        Lk 18:9-14


Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
The Gospel of the Lord


Reflection


Last week we heard about persevering in prayer. Jesus tells us to pray without getting weary, that is, to be consistent and persistent in prayer, whether we pray the rosary, at Mass, with scripture, by meditating and contemplating, or in any way we choose to communicate with God. This week Jesus tells us about the proper attitude of people who pray.


There are two people who are praying in the Temple area, a Pharisee and a tax collector. Pharisees were laymen who were influential in Israel and who attempted to live the Mosaic Law fully. They were strict observers of the Law. They were educated and generally from the upper class.


A tax collector was someone who was hired by the Roman authorities to collect taxes for Rome. They were given a set amount to collect and anything over and above that was theirs to keep. They were generally considered traitors and unrighteous for working for the Romans and were not accepted by the religious authorities in the Temple and the synagogues. They lived on the fringe of society, but could be well off financially.


The Pharisee is very self-righteous, and it shows up in his prayer. He compares himself to other people and comes out much better than them. He actually thanks God for making him better than other people. He says, “O God I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector. Can you imagine? Whenever anyone starts spouting off like that to me, I respond, “And humble, too.”


I’m sure you’ve known people like that. They think they are God’s gift to us. They are perfect, and whenever something goes wrong, they always blame someone else; it could never be their fault. There’s an old joke that goes like this: “A woman says to her friend: when I married Mr. Right, I didn’t know his first name was Always.”


Can what this Pharisee said to God even be considered a prayer? Is he even capable of prayer? Looks to me like he is putting himself almost on a par with God. He is not communicating with God, he is telling God (and us) about his greatness. Since when is that a prayer? I bet that he thinks that he is so good that he hardly needs God’s help at all. This is the kind of man who would say to you: “I thought I made a mistake once, but I was wrong.”


Don’t these people drive you crazy? There is no talking to them. It’s sad in a way, because they are so wrapped up in themselves that there is no hope for them to understand their mistakes or to be humble before God. The Pharisee justifies himself because of his actions – he pays tithes and fasts twice a week. He is not asking God to approve of him; he doesn’t seem to need that. He thinks he is good enough by himself.


The tax collector, on the other hand, knows that he is a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness. He approaches God as one who needs God’s help. He looks to be forgiven. He is a humble man who understands about God and his own incapability in being a good person without God’s help. This is the attitude Jesus would have us take in our prayer.


The performance of religious practices is not enough. It is not good enough to be pious on the outside, but we need to be pious on the inside. Religious practices are to be done humbly and are supposed to help us deepen our relationship with God. They shouldn’t be done to impress other people.


The tax collector is justified not by anything he does, but because God justifies him. The Pharisee goes home unjustified because of his haughtiness. The spiritual author C.S. Lewis once wrote: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.” Or, I would add, you can’t see the One above you.

First Reading            Sir 35:12-14, 16-18


The LORD is a God of justice,
who knows no favorites.
Though not unduly partial toward the weak,
yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.
The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan,
nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.
The one who serves God willingly is heard;
his petition reaches the heavens.
The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;
it does not rest till it reaches its goal,
nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds,
judges justly and affirms the right,
and the Lord will not delay.


The Word of the Lord


Reflection


The Book of Sirach (otherwise known as Ecclesiasticus) was written between 200 B.C. and 175 B.C. by Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach who lived in Jerusalem and was imbued with a love of the Law, the priesthood, the Temple, and divine worship. His motive in writing this book was to help people maintain their religious faith through the study of the law and tradition. He has much advise on how people should live their lives and how they relate to God.


Today’s section is from a longer section concerning sacrifice and prayer. He says that for sacrifice to be pleasing and acceptable to God, it must be done humbly, out of genuine faith and in following the Law. Otherwise, sacrifice becomes hypocrisy and an empty ritual.


Our passage today says that God shows no impartiality and hears everyone. While the Lord does here the widow, the orphan, the oppressed, he also hears “The one who serves God willingly…his petition reaches the heavens.”


Serving God willingly means to follow God’s teachings as prescribed in the Law and in their tradition. Certainly, being humble would be part of that teaching and their tradition. While God hears the rich who follow his law and tradition, God does not judge by quantity, but by quality. It is more important to have a big heart than a big wallet.



Fr. Phil