Thirtieth Sunday Ordinary

Year C

[Sirach 35 : 15-17, 20-22 (Ecclesiasticus 35 : 12-14, 16-18);

Psalm 34 (33) : 1-2,16-17,18,22;

II Timothy 4 : 6-8, 16-18;

Luke 18 : 9-14]

Today Jesus tells us the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who went up to the temple to pray.

First of all, let us have a look at Pharisee himself: we usually do not speak well of him and we have our reasons for that. The dictionary says that Pharisee means hypocrite. But we must note that he shares ten per cent of all his income. Would we be capable of such an effort? How much do we give to the church? The developed nations give 0.7 % of their GNP to poor countries. In North America priests have the habit of asking the faithful to give at least one hour’s salary every week to God.

The Pharisee not only gives one tenth of his income, he also fasts twice a week (See Luke 5 : 33). Try to fast once a week and you will see how hard it is. We must beware when we speak ill of the Pharisee, for he belongs to one of the most fertile spiritual traditions of history, that of the Jewish people, that has given us the Bible, that is, the knowledge of the only God who leads man from oppression to freedom, from darkness to light, from sin to salvation.

The pharisee is a proud Israelite. His boast is that he follows the prescriptions of the law. And he is not completely wrong. Jesus does not accuse him of lying. He is a good man, after all, and he is trying to pray, and pray with gratitude to God.

But in his prayer, he cuts himself off from the others. He judges others and lines them up behind him: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18: 11). The Pharisee creates a perimeter around himself. And he depreciates others. And so, the others become the background against which stands forth all the brighter this glorious person of the Pharisee.

The Pharisee seems to have forgotten the stipulations of the Covenant according to which to despise another man is a sin (Proverbs 14: 21 etc.). In passing, let us admit that making proud and ridiculous judgements about others happens not only to the Pharisees... That is why I must add to the story a third person who goes up to pray along with the Pharisee and the Publican and that third person is me!

A few days ago, Jesus told us the story of the poor Lazarus and the rich man at whose gate the poor Lazarus was lying. The rich man was sanctioned for not having created any relationship between him and the poor Lazarus. The gospels sanction very much the absence of relationships in society. Especially St. Luke looks at our indifference towards others’ sufferings as a great injustice done to the poor. Luke was convinced that the quality of relationships with others was the ideal solution to the problems at hand in the society of his time. If I find someone poor, or sick, or mentally challenged, or a stranger, or a prisoner, how do I look at him? I must at least think: “If this poor person was my own brother, how would I look at him?” I must at least show that much of humanity towards him.

The Danish philosopher of the 19th century, Kierkegaard, has written these words that are said to be enlightening: “The opposite of sin is not virtue, but faith”. “The opposite of evil is not good, but faith.” This is why the publican tasted an instant of peace in God’s presence.

What is important today is that I renew within me the life-giving experience of the tax collector by saying along with him: “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).

Amen.