From the Pastor - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In last week’s readings we were encouraged to remain persistent and constant in our prayer life. Today we focus on the proper attitude of a steward at prayer.
In the Gospel passage from Luke, Jesus illustrates the humble attitude we must have as we approach God in prayer through a parable of two praying men. One is a Pharisee, a man with respected status, theological training and all the right credentials. He marches right up to the front of the temple to speak a prayer “to himself,” thanking God for making him just a little bit superior to everyone else!
The other man is a tax collector, known by those of his day to be a cheater and a sell-out to his fellow Jews. In contrast to the Pharisee, he stands near the back and cries out to God in a simple and honest way: “Be merciful to me a sinner.”
Jesus tells us that it is the tax collector and not the Pharisee who leaves the temple justified. Why?
The Pharisee was full of self as he approached God. He felt no real need for God as he rattled off his resume of good works and spiritual practices. He was simply going through the motions of prayer. His lack of humility prevented him from entering into a real dialogue with the Father. He was not transformed by his time of prayer because he was so full of himself that He left God no space to enter in.
The tax collector, by contrast, emptied himself as he approached God. He recognized who he truly was (a sinner) and asked simply for mercy, leaving all the rest up to God. This is the kind of attitude that God can work with! This is how a good steward prays — with trust, with complete openness to God’s will, with a listening mind and heart, ready to serve as God leads. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2022.
Pastoral Pondering
I went shopping the other day at Costco and as I walked past the decorations for Halloween side by side with the decorations for Christmas, I realized that the weeks are flying by, and the big box stores want it to fly even faster! As we recognize the speed with which our lives go by, it is always good to ponder where our priorities are. As noted above, the tax collector, or the publican as he is sometimes called, recognized his unworthiness and approached God with great humility. I have always sensed that this is always the proper attitude to approach the Lord.
We are the beneficiaries of a God who lavishes His love without hesitation. And while His justice must also be fulfilled, we can be thankful that His Son and Our Lord, gave all so that each one of us might take our place as a beloved son or daughter of God. As the world seems to forget this wonderful truth, we need to strive to live it out as authentically as we can. We need to learn to approach the love of God with a deep abiding recognition that we approach His throne unworthy of His goodness, but abundantly thankful for His readiness to offer it.
As we move closer to the end of the liturgical year in the coming weeks, the readings will move towards a deeper consideration of the end of things; the end of life, the end of the world, etc. Because of faith, however, we know that with an end comes a new beginning. Whether the new beginning is a new liturgical year (Year A – the Year of Matthew), or the beginning of eternity, we can face each end and new beginning with hope. In order to experience that hope, however, let us come before the Lord in faith, trust and deep humility in the face of His Divine Majesty.