The Christian way is the way of humility!

Homily for 30^th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C 2013

Sir 35:12-14, 16-18 • 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18 • Luke 18:9-14

Introduction

Today’s gospel reminded me of an incident that happened to me in the fourth grade.  My mother had been taken up a teaching job in a rural school and so I moved from a really good school to this regular village school.  But the upside of the move was that from being an average student in my former school, now I was easily the best student, or as you say, the top dog in my new class.

One day the teacher asked a question, as teachers often do.  I knew the correct answer, but I did not raise my hand.  Many of my classmates raised their hands, but their answers were wrong.  And then, very proud of myself, I blurted out the correct answer.  I was expecting the teacher to say to me, “good job,” “attaboy,” and to scold my classmates for their ignorance, pointing to me as the exemplary student they should imitate.  But no!  He punished me! He punished me for refusing to raise my hand, as students are expected to do.  That I had the correct answer was beside the point; I lacked class discipline and most importantly, I lacked the humility of a student.

Scripture and Theology

In today’s gospel, just like my fourth grade teacher, Jesus reverses expectations.  Instead of praising the saintly Pharisee, he praises the sinful tax-collector, “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former.”

To the Jews, the Pharisee was the good person, the holy person, hands down; for Pharisees observed the Law of Moses very strictly.  That is why this particular Pharisee could honestly say: “I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous.” Moreover, he fasted twice a week, far beyond the normal expectations.  And he paid tithes, that is, 10% on all his income to the temple.  It was no wonder that for the Jews, this was a person to be admired.  But Jesus disagrees!  He says it is the tax-collector who is the one closer to God.

But how can this be, when the tax-collector is quite a disagreeable character?  He doesn’t fast at all!  He doesn’t give 10% of his money to the temple or any at all.  In fact, tax-collectors were known to take bribes or charge more and keep the difference for themselves.  And human nature being what it is, both then and now, nobody likes paying taxes and so nobody likes tax-collectors.  To add insult to injury, the tax-collectors of Jesus’ day collected taxes for the Romans, the occupiers.  Even the tax-collector himself admits that he is a really bad man.  And yet Jesus says, this man went home justified, while the Pharisee did not!

Why this role-reversal?  Why does Jesus turn the world upside down?  Like my fourth grade teacher taught me how a student should relate to the teacher, Jesus is teaching his listeners how human beings should relate with God: they should be humble and realize that God is the source of all goodness.

·        The Pharisee, despite his apparent righteousness, lacked this one really important virtue of humility.  He thought that salvation came from merely observing the laws.  When he came to pray, he did not come to talk to a friend; he came to boast, to remind God about his own holiness, just in case God had forgotten!  His prayer basically said: “God, you should be really grateful that you have someone like me (and there are not many of us), someone who is so faithful in following your commands!”  This is pride, this is self-conceitedness, this is self-righteousness.

·        The tax-collector, however, despite his sinfulness, realized he really needed God.  Jesus is inviting his listeners to imitate, not the sinful life, but the tax-collector’s humility and willingness to place himself under God’s mercy and love.  We heard that when he came to pray, he stood off at a distance, and would not even raise his eyes to heaven.  Rather, he beats his breast and prays: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  He realizes that by sinning, he has hurt a dear friend and now comes back to that friend, to ask him for a fresh start.

And so, the tax-collector is to be admired more than the righteous Pharisee because by humbling himself, he is disposed to receive all that God has to offer.

Christian Life

Whenever I tell my fourth-grade story, people sometimes ask me.  “Did you learn what your teacher was trying to teach you?”  Well, to be honest, I am not sure.  I think, I am still learning that lesson.  For while we think of ourselves as the tax-collector, if we are really honest with ourselves, we might find that there is still a bit of the Pharisee and that little fourth grader in us.

Sometimes our goodness can get to our heads.  And we might be tempted to think or pray like the Pharisee and our prayer might go something like this:

“Thank you, God, that I am a Catholic and not like those deluded Protestants and heathen Muslims.  I go to Mass every Sunday, receive Communion, and now and again go to Confession.  I give to the collection, send my children to Catholic school and I am faithful to my wife.  I am successful in my business and although it is not always easy I try to keep on the right side of the law.  Once I year I do a retreat.  I, of course, do not claim to be a saint but you know, I am an above average Catholic, which is more than can be said of the many so-called Catholics and non-Catholics I know.  Thank you, God, that I have not become like any of them.”

If we are not inclined to say this kind of prayer, our temptation might take a different form, not being aware of our sinfulness and the need for God’s forgiveness.  “What is sin, we might ask?  I don’t really sin.  Those bad things I do are only part of being human.  Besides, God understands that I have needs.”  This attitude, like the Pharisee, takes God for granted.  This attitude stops us from examining our consciences for any sins of commission or omission, sins which have damaged our friendship with God.  This attitude stops us from coming before God in confession and like the tax-collector saying: “Forgive me Father for I have sinned; 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner’.”  And yet, only by coming to his altar of mercy, can we expect to receive that mercy from God.

And so, whether we are generally good or whether we have had some rough patches in our lives, Jesus invites us to always live in that basic humility which acknowledges God, as the source of our success but also the source of mercy. 

Conclusion

I will suggest two practical things, to help us develop the humility Jesus calls for.

1.    If we are not already doing so, let us return to the sacrament of confession, even if we do only once a year, as required by the Church.  All of us are in need of forgiveness – why not use the means Jesus left for us.  Even at Mass we always begin first by acknowledging our sinfulness.  Before we praise God, hear his word and receive his Body and Blood, like the tax-collector we first say: “I confess to Almighty God” and three times we say “Lord Have Mercy!”  This is the humility of the Christian.

2.    A second practice to help us live in God’s providence is saying grace at meals.  When we say before meals: “Bless us O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive, from your goodness, through Christ our Lord,” and when we say after the meal, “We give you thanks Almighty God, for your benefits, you who live and reign for ever and ever,” we are acknowledging that even in the basic necessities of life like food, we need God in our lives.

I know it is very un-American to think of ourselves as anything less than we are, and I know that the founding Fathers of the nation are probably rolling in their graves at this very moment.  But Jesus invites you and me to know that, however righteous we are God is the source of our goodness and however sinful we are, God alone can forgive us.