20221023 GUIDELINES IN LIVING OUT OUR CHRISTIAN MISSION
23 October, 2022, Sunday, 30th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ecclesiasticus 35:12-14, 16-19 © |
The humble man's prayer pierces the clouds
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(34):2-3,17-19,23 © |
This 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.
This 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.
This 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.
This poor man called; the Lord has heard him.
Second reading |
2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 © |
All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me
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 © |
The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.
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.’
GUIDELINES IN LIVING OUT OUR CHRISTIAN MISSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ECCL 35:12-14, 16-19; PS 34; 2 TIM 4:6-8, 16-18; LK 18: 9-14]
There are five lessons we can learn from today’s scripture readings to be a better Christian in our commitment to the Lord in service. Firstly, we must practice impartiality when we serve the People of God. This is what Sirach tells us. “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.” Hence, the Lord remarked, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.” Regardless, whether they are friends or foes, we must serve them well.
Secondly, we must grow in holiness. In the gospel, we have the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-collector. It appears that Jesus was praising the tax-collector over the Pharisee. We must get the parable right. Otherwise, many of us might thank God that we are not the Pharisee but the tax-collector! Indeed, this is the real irony of the Church today. Many of us are not proud to be a Pharisee, that is, to appear as holy or to live holy lives. In the world today, even those of us who are holy and righteous, are afraid to demonstrate it to others otherwise people might think we are untouchable, not because we are holy but because we are not in touch with life! Indeed, the novelty today is to live like a tax-collector, to show to others that we are sinners. We are committing adultery, sleeping around, smoking, drinking excessively, and uttering all kinds of foul words, indulging in pornography and sensual activities. Today, it has become a fashion to do all these things and say that we are cool. Otherwise, we are square.
Indeed, in no way was Jesus advocating that we should live our life like the tax-collector and that the life of the Pharisee was wrong. On the contrary, that was what was demanded by the law. Being a Pharisee was to be called to holiness. Living the life of a tax-collector was to live a dishonest life. What was wrong with the Pharisee and what was right with the Tax-collector was not so much what they did but the attitude that they had with respect to their good works or failures in life, and the motive of what they did or failed to do.
Thirdly, don’t be self-righteous and act hypocritically. Jesus was not condemning how the Pharisee lived his religious life but the danger of pride being manifested in living a righteous life. Before God, he was claiming merits and credits for all that he did. He thought that his ability to live a holy life was all his hard work and discipline. He was giving credit to himself and demanding from God the reward due to him. So much so, because of his pride and self-righteousness, he was despising those who failed to live as he lived. He had a disdain for sinners because he considered himself the righteous one. Hence, his prayer was not directed to God but 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.” It was all about himself.
A person who is self-righteous lacks humility. He failed to realize that holiness and doing good is dependent on the grace of God. Without His grace, we cannot do good or live a holy life. We have nothing to boast except the grace and mercy of God. We should therefore be humble and thankful to God for showering us with His gifts. If we are truly humble, then we will feel with those who are not able to live a life of righteousness because they are tempted by sin, ignorance and sometimes pride. They are hurting and destroying themselves and the lives of their loved ones. Indeed, because pride leads to self-righteousness, we tend to condemn sinners and those who fail. We become arrogant, lacking compassion and think that we are holier than others. We despise them, failing to realize we are sinners as well.
Indeed, for the tax-collector, Jesus was not condoning his cheating and dishonesty. Sin is sin. Jesus was not justifying the sins of the tax-collector or nullifying the good works of the Pharisee. He was approving of his sincere attitude in recognizing his sinfulness. The tax-collector knew that he did wrong. For whatever reasons, he could not get out of the system or of his sins. But we can be sure that he too was seeking salvation and for the grace to live a life of righteousness. It was his contrite and sincere heart in knowing himself. Hence, he had nothing much to say before God except, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” It was a prayer that comes from the heart.
Fourthly, we must be ready to suffer for Christ and be misunderstood. We must not be naïve to think that our brothers and sisters, our superiors or even priests and religious will be faithful to us or stand by us. Often, we are misunderstood or marginalized because we think differently. Some might feel that we are a threat to them. Others might be jealous of our success. Regardless, we will face opposition in ministry. This was the case of St Paul. He was forgiving towards those who opposed him and those who betrayed him. 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.” However, he did not hold any grudge against his enemies and detractors because he knew and felt with them in their ignorance and pride. He was one of them before. He could identify with them. Hence, his prayer was like that of Jesus on the cross, “may they not be held accountable for it.” When we are humble and grateful for God’s mercy and grace in our lives, we will also be kind, gentle and forgiving. We too must be forgiving towards those who oppose us or hurt us. If we bear grudges in ministry, we cannot be successful because we block the grace of God from flowing out of us. Only a forgiving minister of the gospel can be used effectively by God.
We should not get agitated too easily, as Padre Pio reminds us, for it is not from God. “The Spirit of God is a Spirit of Peace and even in the most serious faults He makes us feel a sorrow that is tranquil, humble, and confident and this is precisely because of His Mercy. The spirit of the devil, instead, excites, exasperates and makes us feel, in that very sorrow, anger against ourselves, whereas we should on the contrary be charitable with ourselves first and foremost. Therefore if any thought agitates you, this agitation never comes from God, who gives you peace, being the Spirit of Peace, but from the devil.” (AdFP, 549)
Fifthly, we must offer our life as a libation to the Lord. St Paul certainly sought to live the life of grace and gave himself entirely to the work of the proclamation of the gospel. He lived a responsible life and was true to his vocation and calling. He wrote to Timothy saying, “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.” But he said this not as something that he achieved on his own account. He was always conscious that it was the Lord who justified him when he was the greatest among sinners. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Tim 1:15f) We too must offer ourselves as a libation to God. The true disciple of Christ must offer his life as a ransom for many, to be a servant to all. Only when we give ourselves totally to the service of God and our fellowmen, will we find fulfilment and joy in life.
Indeed, St Paul knew that it was purely God’s grace and mercy that he could do what he did. “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.” Because of God’s mercy for him in his life and mission on earth, he had great confidence and hope in God that upon his death, “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.” Indeed, if we do all that we can, regardless of the outcome, we can trust that God will reward us with peace, love and joy.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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