THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR

(REFLECTION FOR 30^TH SUNDAY IN ORDIANRY TIME)

1. Jesus speaks in parables: There are about 50 parables in the Gospels. 40 are found in the Gospel according to Luke, of which 15 are narrated only by him. Today’s parable is among the 15 that are found only in the Gospel according to Luke. He uses signs and images familiar to us to pass the great messages of the mystery of God to us. This use of familiar imagery is another expression of humility. The workings of God and how they relate to us can overwhelm us and be difficult to understand. But Jesus lays these mysteries bay before us in signs and images, and in parables. Does Jesus still speak in parables today?

The use of these familiar imageries shows that Jesus was in touch with the ordinary daily experiences of the people at that time. He still speaks to us in parables: in familiar daily experiences. He speaks to us today in our daily moments of happiness, sorrow, hardship or achievements. So we must always be attentive, and look upon such moments with eyes of faith in order to understand the message of Christ. If Christ has humbled Himself to associate with our ordinary experiences, we must always be humble and entrust such moments to Him. There is always a message Christ has for us in every situation we find ourselves.

2. The parable of today enjoins us to be humble before God. Since God humbles Himself and identifies with us (Phil 2:7), he equally supplies the strength and grace we need. Without Him we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). What is the disposition we need in order to respond to our God, to have our prayers answered, our fears resolved and to be at rights with God? The first reading tells us that with humility our '‘prayers will pierce the clouds;'’ we receive the answers we are looking for. A humble heart realizes how close God is and submits totally to Him. He’s like the poor and orphan whose help comes only from the Lord! Hence the Psalmist says “This poor man called the Lord heard him”. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the humble—those who realize their need of God—for the Kingdom of God belongs to them (cf. Mt 5:3).

And this promise of the Kingdom of God, the crown of glory, is what St Paul emphasized in the 2^nd reading. He tells us that there is a crown of righteousness for all those who look forward to it; those who humble themselves before God—who work hard to please Him. Therefore, we must have our eyes focused on God’s kingdom and its righteousness. We must instil in our hearts a longing for this crown of righteousness in order to be strengthened as we humble ourselves before God.

3. The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector reminds us that prayer is one vital way we express our dependence on God. And the way we pray reflects the way we believe. Our prayer reveals the nature of our relationship with God and the secrets of our hearts. Jesus invites us to pray; He is the one who has summoned us here this morning. Our response, our prayers reveal how much we have accepted that invitation. We see the in the attitude of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector the following:

a) “The Pharisee stood there...” but “The tax collector stood some distance away...” God, by coming close to us, has sanctified time and space, distance to be a living imagery of His presence and closeness to us. He has ordained that the chapel/church be a place of prayer. In the church, the altar and the tabernacle are designated as special places of God’s presence. So when we see people kneeling down before the altar, prostrating before the tabernacle, that becomes a living gesture, an expression of the inner yearning for God’s closeness in one’s life. But that can be abused. The Pharisee stood there at the sanctuary as a sign of his self-confidence, pride and self-righteousness. But the tax collector stood some distance away, at the rear end of the temple, expressing his recognition that God is close at the sanctuary and that he’s not worthy to draw close. In humility he was asking God to draw him close.

b) The Pharisee prayed to himself. We must always be careful where our prayers are directed to. We do not pray to ourselves, or to others or to our problems and desires. Also, we must not pray against anybody. But we only pray for people and for our intentions. We pray only to God. Even when we ask the Saints and Angels to pray for us, it is still to God that our prayers are designated. Therefore, we must carefully examine the love that motivates our prayers, and where the love that flows from our prayers are directed.

c) The Pharisee used himself as the standard of judgment to exalt himself and to condemn others. We do this when we use ourselves to justify our own actions and give excuses why we cannot improve, pray or change our behaviour. When we use human power as standard, we set limits. We become a barriers preventing ourselves from reaching out to both God and man and even to our own detriment. God is our judge. Christ is the standard. When we allow pride to get hold of us, and we use ourselves as standard, we not only limit ourselves, we equally cut ourselves off from God’s blessings and righteousness.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus speaks to us in familiar signs and images. He humbles himself, identifying with our ordinary experiences to give us hope and crown of righteousness. Let us approach Him in humility “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Our help is in the name of the Lord—who made heaven and earth!

Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Redeemer House, Ibadan.

24/10/2010