Thirtieth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C, By Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior, C.S.Sp

First Reading: Sirach 35:12c-14.16-18b/Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 34:2-3.17-18.19, 23(R. cf.7a) Second Reading: II Timothy 4:6-8.16-18/Gospel Accl.: II Cor. 5:19/Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Theme: Humility Isn’t Humiliation But Courage And Power!

God’s justice or righteousness (Dikaiosune in Greek) means being put right with God. This is made possible when we cooperate with God’s grace and mercy. Those who welcome it find mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation. God’s justice is able to keep us in everlasting bliss. On the other hand, those who despise God’s justice, who embrace wickedness, forfeit God’s salvation. Against the urge to be proud and egoistic, today’s liturgical readings encourage us to cultivate the virtue of humility, to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith knowing too well that in the presence of God, humankind is naked, needy and empty-handed. God is ready to listen to our prayers if we are open to him in humility. Pride has no place in God. So, the question is: what is our disposition when we come to the presence of God? To this path we now turn our attention!

In the first reading, Ben Sira highlights the attitude of God as the impartial and just judge who comes to the aid of the poor and needy. He says: “The Lord is the judge, and with him is no partiality… He will not ignore the supplication of the fatherless, nor the widow when she pours out her story” (Sir. 35:12-14). Particularly, we read that, “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord” (Sir. 35:17). Like the wisdom writer, Ben Sira, the Psalmist also reiterates God’s justice and so sings: “The lowly man called, and the Lord heard him” (Ps. 34:7a). Against the vice of pride, we are warned: “The Lord turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth. When the just cry out, the Lord hears, and rescues them in all their distress” (Ps.34:17-18).

Most of the time, humble people suffer being taken for granted. Some think they are weak, but humility is not humiliation. Rather, it is courage and power. It is very easy for people to become proud, but it takes effort, time and discipline to be humble. Other times too, some think agreeing always to what people say and do or being a yes-man or yes-woman is humility. That is a fallacy! That may be blind obedience, a lack of confidence or even inferiority complex. True humility is confidence in oneself because you trust in God. Hence, in the second reading, although, St. Paul is at the evening of his life and ministry, he is able to recount how God’s justice sustains and makes him a better person than before. Confidence is displayed when Paul describes how hard he has worked in God’s vineyard: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (II Tim. 4:7). Even when deserted by close friends, God’s justice and friendship is made available to St. Paul in his trying moments: “I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom…” (II Tim. 4:18). If we cooperate with God’s justice we can humbly say with St. Paul: “From now on 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 (II Tim. 4:8).

To bring home our theme for today, the drama of two actors, pride and humility, plays out in the Gospel. It is about the proud and self-righteous Pharisee, and the humble and cooperative Tax Collector (Publican). While the Jews considered the Pharisees as holy people, tax collectors were seen as public sinners – those who collaborate with Israel’s enemies (Roman Empire) to exploit and cheat them. In his self-conceitedness, the Pharisee locks all doors of grace made available to him by God. On the other hand, the Publican is able to open these channels of grace, mercy and blessing through a down-to-earth appreciation of his fallen humanity, acknowledgement of his sinfulness and his readiness to make amends. Therefore, he is justified and reconciled with God through Christ, affirming the text that: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and he has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation” (II Cor. 5:19). So it is, that anyone who cooperates with God and opens up to him is justified and reconciled! Indeed, God seeks our reconciliation which is made possible when we make repentance and conversion our goal in life.

Beloved in Christ, the example of the tax collector must characterise our disposition whenever we pray. He is reported in the following words: “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’” (Lk. 18:13). We must do everything possible to eschew haughtiness in life. God owes us nothing for us to make claims on him! All we are and have come from him. Such a disposition makes us rely and depend on God’s power. We do not go to God to show our power before the All-Powerful or display our achievements, for he is our help! This is the point the Pharisee failed to realise. The fact is, he actually went to pray to God, but pride would not allow him to connect with God. He only connected with himself, and such self-absorption does not permit prayer to travel even beyond our heads! If we want our prayer to reach God in heaven and to change us deeply in our hearts, then we need to work on ourselves and to change our wrong mentalities about God and about prayer. Our prayers have gone unanswered for too long because of Pharisaic tendencies, but “the prayer of a humble person pierces the heavens” (Sir. 35:17). Let us ponder deeply and prayerfully: “God opposes the proud but gives his grace to the humble” (I Pet. 5:5). “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk. 18:14b).

Furthermore, when we pray, we must open up to receive more from him with the intention of doing his will and sharing with others what we receive from God. The Pharisee was full of himself: “I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get” (Lk. 18:12). Truly, the Pharisees were known for all these. However, these rituals only soothed their consciences, and those who opposed Jesus’ ministry were not converted in heart. They were merely and externally religious. Their hearts were far from God. This holier-than-thou attitude also prevented them from showing compassion to sinners in a bid to help them. Instead of love, they treated them with contempt: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (Lk. 18:11). Yet, ironically, he was not even a better person than the tax collector since he hid his sins and made others believe he was sinless! Little wonder then, when Archbishop Fulton Sheen says, “In heaven, there will be surprises” and rightly so! We should not rejoice in being sinful. Neither should we be happy about the miserable conditions of sinners. It is against charity to push the one already on the ground into the gutter! Instead, we should all repent and be charitable to sinners; show them love and mercy like the loving and merciful Father (cf. Mt. 5:43-48).

The human condition of proclivity to sin is an indubitable and undeniable reality. Doing nothing about this human condition is the problem. Rationalising about it even makes it worse! An honest acknowledgment of this, and the desire and effort to repent is the way to live in true freedom and happiness. In our world today, many have accepted and cultivated the seed of sin deep within their hearts. Unable to humble themselves before the grace of God so they can receive healing from sin, they have become hardened even in the garments of religion. Controlled by sin and carnal[1]mindedness, they scandalise others, and in the end, they even lose their faith in a God who is merciful and loving. Others also make it their hobby, better still, their life project, to remove God completely from their lives, and not only theirs, but those of others in society and the world as a whole! God’s justice must meet our humility if we are to experience salvation. Humility is not humiliation, but the true awareness and acknowledgement of our humanness before God and our fellow human beings. To be humble, we should embrace truthfulness in speech and sincerity of character; courage to confront our shortcomings; accept that we are humans not angels; respect people and life; show sympathy and empathy, and associate with the lowly (cf. Rom. 12:16). Is humility rewarding? Absolutely yes! It brings answered prayers, favours and promotion, success in life; makes us inherit the earth and heaven (Mt. 5:3, 5). Let us pray to God to strengthen us so as to embrace a life of virtue, and not vice even when it is subtle and convenient. May our eyes be open to all the things which militate against our true conversion. Happy Sunday and may God richly bless us. Remember: #Humility-Is-Not-Humiliation-But-Courage-And-Power#