THE PRAYER OF A HUMBLE AND HOLY MAN IS HEARD BY THE LORD

20161023 THE PRAYER OF A HUMBLE AND HOLY MAN IS HEARD BY THE LORD

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Ecclesiasticus 35:12-14, 16-19 ©

The Lord is a judge

  who is no respecter of personages.

He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man,

  he listens to the plea of the injured party.

He does not ignore the orphan’s supplication,

  nor the widow’s as she pours out her story.

The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted,

  his petitions will carry to the clouds.

The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds,

  until it arrives he is inconsolable,

And the Lord will not be slow,

  nor will he be dilatory on their behalf.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33:2-3,17-19,23 ©

The poor man called; the Lord has heard him.

I will bless the Lord at all times,

  his praise always on my lips;

in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.

  The humble shall hear and be glad.

The poor man called; the Lord has heard him.

The Lord turns his face against the wicked

  to destroy their remembrance from the earth.

The just call and the Lord hears

  and rescues them in all their distress.

The poor man called; the Lord has heard him.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;

  those whose spirit is crushed he will save.

The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.

  Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.

The poor man called; the Lord has heard him.

Second reading

2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 ©

My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

  The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

Or

2Co5:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,

and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 18:9-14 ©

Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

THE PRAYER OF A HUMBLE AND HOLY MAN IS HEARD BY THE LORD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  ECCL 35:12-14.16-19; 2TIM 4:6-8.16-18; LK 18:9-14 ]

We all need healing.  Some of us need emotional and psychological healing; others seek strength and wisdom in their marriage life, work and Church ministry.  Yet others want peace, meaning and fulfillment.  How great is your confidence that your prayer will be heard by the Lord?  Do you have the confidence and hope that the Lord not only can, but will heal you?

If we have reservations about the healing deeds of God, then we only need to turn to the scriptures. Throughout scripture the constant refrain is that God hears the cries of the poor and the just.  He is a God of compassion and wants to be our strength, refuge and deliverer.  Sirach affirms that “He listens to the plea of the injured party. He does not ignore the orphans’ supplication, nor the widows as she pours out her story.”

So what is the real obstacle to having our prayers answered? Most of the time, we lack the right disposition to receive His healing grace or to have our petitions answered.  Quite often too, we perceive wrongly the ways God will reach out to save and heal us, because of our preconceived ideas.  Instead of relying on His wisdom and ingenuity, we want God to follow our ways and plans.  What are the necessary conditions to prepare us to receive His grace?

The first condition, and perhaps the most important key, is humility.  Sirach tells us that “the humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds, until it arrives he is inconsolable nor will he desist until the Most High takes notice of him, acquits the virtuous and delivers judgement.” Humility demands that we recognize our nothingness before Him.  So long as we are dependent on our own ingenuity and strength, the Lord will not show forth His power in helping us directly.   This was the case of the Pharisee.  He did not come before God to acknowledge what God can do or has done through or for him.  Instead he came before God to boast of his righteousness and his works. As long as we do not give due credit to God’s grace, our prayers cannot be heard.  Furthermore, without humility, we lack the docility and sensitivity to be open to the varied ways that God is giving us His assistance.  One of the main obstacles to seeing the hand of God at work in our lives is our fixated views of what God must do and how He must go about restoring us.

Secondly, we need to confess our sinfulness before the Lord.  Sin is always a great obstacle to God’s healing grace.  A sincere and humble recognition of one’s sinfulness paves the way for self-acceptance of our brokenness and also acceptance of others’ sinfulness as well.  Without a contrite heart, we will not have the will to change our lifestyle or give up our vices and sins.  And the fact is that many of our illnesses are caused by the sins in our lives.  It is our greed, anger, gluttony, pride, envy, sloth and lust that cause us to hurt ourselves, our loved ones and our fellowmen.  So without desiring to give up our sins, there is no reason to seek healing from God, since whatever He will do for us, will be undone by our refusal to give up our sins.

Forgiveness is much easier to give, and receive, when we realize who we are, sinners!  When we realize our own imperfections and inadequacies, we will be able to accept the weaknesses of others.  It is when we think too highly of ourselves that we want to make ourselves the standard and norm of how others should conduct themselves.  In understanding our solidarity in sin, we strike empathy with fellow sinners.  When a person holds no grudges in his heart, that person blames no one and so his mind and his will is free to receive whatever the Lord seeks to give Him.

Letting go of our disappointments and hurts was what St Paul did.  He, too, suffered much as a missionary and preacher of the gospel. Even his closest friends, his fellow Christians or confreres, did not support him.  With much regret in his heart he wrote, “The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it.”  But in spite of his pain, he was ever ready to let go of all the hurts he received previously.   So let us not allow unforgiveness be an obstacle to our receiving God’s healing grace and mercy.  Of course, there is no greater pain or disappointment in life than being betrayed by people whom we trust and love dearly.  By letting go as St Paul did, we will allow the healing grace of God to work in us, liberating us and making us disposed to greater blessings. Otherwise we would choke the channel of God’s grace.

The third key to healing is trust and confidence in the power and mercy of God.  The first reading reminds us that God is impartial. Notwithstanding the position we are in, the Lord loves us all. Indeed, “the Lord is a judge who is no respecter of personages.”  Jesus instructed us that our Father knows how to give good things to His children. St Paul too, spoke confidently of the Lord who stands on the side of justice and truth. He recounted how when everything seemed lost and when no one was on his side, he found security in the Lord.  Yes, the Lord gave him the power and strength so that he could endure the trials of the apostolate.  Only God can ensure and bring about fruitfulness in our ministry; not our efforts and resourcefulness.

Fourthly, we must be ready to surrender our life to the Lord.  We must offer our body, mind and spirit as a living sacrifice to the Lord.  In other words, we must do everything in view of giving glory to God and inspiring people to faith.  That was how St Paul surrendered his life to Christ.  He shared with the Christians saying, “My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone.” In the same vein, Sirach wrote, “the man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted; his petitions will carry to the clouds.”  Unless we are ready to live the Good Life that He offers us in the gospel, and give our sinful life, we are not ready for healing.

Next, we need perseverance and faithfulness in times of suffering and persecution.  We must never give up easily on prayer.  Our prayers must be fervent and sincere.  We must never give up hope.  We must imitate the persevering spirit of St Paul when he said, “I have fought the good fight to the end. I have run the race to the finish.”  He could persevere because the Lord stood by him.  We must exercise patience and in a prayerful spirit, read the signs of the times and how He is speaking to us through the period of waiting.

The penultimate key to healing is that our confidence in God’s healing love is not restricted merely to this world but in the next as well.  St Paul himself was cognizant that God’s deliverance at times might only come in the next life. Whilst we should seek God’s help us in this life, what is of utmost concern is life hereafter. We have to trust in God’s wisdom that there will be times when His answer is that it is time for us to return Home and share in the fullness of life and happiness with Him in heaven. To expect that God will always bring about physical healing for us in this life shows a lack of understanding that life on earth is but a pilgrimage and that our true home is in heaven.  Even St Paul eventually had to die for Christ when the opportune time came for him to witness to His love.  Notwithstanding that He might not heal us physically, we can be certain that He will nevertheless heal us spiritually, emotionally and psychologically.  We will be at peace in our hearts and minds.

Finally, after receiving the grace and mercy of God, we must not forget to give glory to God in thanksgiving and through the work of evangelization.  God does not save and heal us only for our sake, but for the sake of others.  If God manifests His love and mercy to us, it is because He wants us to share His love and mercy with those who are in distress, forlorn, forsaken, lost and hopeless so that they will not give up hope in God, in themselves and in others.  Testimony is therefore crucial for our own healing and for the work of evangelization.  In testifying, not only do we witness to His love and power, but in the process, we strengthen our faith in His love and claim His healing power and works in our lives.  The more we proclaim His love and mercy, the more we grow in faith, because we learn to clarify His love for us and reinforce in our memory all that He has done for us so that we will never forget the works of the Lord.

Incidentally the Church celebrates Mission Sunday today.  We cannot speak of mission Ad Gentes (to the world) unless we ourselves are soaked with the love and mercy of God.  If we lack the sense of mission and evangelization, it is because the Good News of God has not been incarnated in our lives.  Scripture tells us that this God whom we worship is a living God, active in our lives, responding to our needs, stretching His hands to save us and liberate us. To this God we turn for help with the confidence that He will surely answer our prayers.  With Sirach we proclaim, “the Lord will not be slow, nor will he be dilatory on their behalf.”  Our Mission is to let the whole world know that our God is the Lord of all nations.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved