Sunday Meditation: What God Most Values

Once again Jesus in the Gospel of Luke teaches us about prayer.  We had learned about prayer in Chapter 11 where Jesus tells the disciples how to pray the Lord’s Prayer.  In the same chapter He then teaches on persistence in praying by the parable of the man urging his friend for bread in the middle of the night.  Last Sunday we were given the parable of the persistent widow pleading with the unjust judge.  Again Jesus taught on persistence in prayer.  Today, on the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time in Year C, Jesus, by comparing the prayers of the Pharisee and tax collector, teaches us on what He values most in prayer.

 

Here is the Gospel passage.

 

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.

"Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -- greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'

But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed,

'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'

I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

~Lk 18:9-14

 

Fr. Joseph Mary shines again this week with a homily explaining the passage.

 

“Who do we look down on?  Who do we judge?  Who do we raise ourselves above?  People with hair dyed red and body piercings?  Gamblers and junkies, pregnant teenagers and lapsed Catholics, those who only attend on Easter and Christmas.  On whose broken backs have we climbed to enshrine our own piety?  We are often not too different than the Pharisee.”  -Fr. Joseph Mary at his most convicting.

The pastoral homily from Archbishop Edward Wiesenberger is equally penetrating.

We can also add St. Catherine of Siena’s quote to the Archbishop’s list of humility where God tells Catherine, "I am the one who is and you are the one who is not."  What Jesus values most is humility. 

 

Sunday Meditation: "Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.”

 

Let us be conscious to whom Jesus addressed this parable, lest it be you.

This is a good Sunday for “Amazing Grace.”  Here’s a lovely version by someone named Rosemary Siemens.

 

I have never heard of her, but lovely.

Sunday Meditation: Humility

You might think it strange that I titled this Sunday’s meditation “Humility.”  The reading for Year C’s Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time highlights pride.  I hope by the time you have gone through today’s homilies you see how it’s fitting.

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.

"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor.

A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place.

Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say,

'My friend, move up to a higher position.'

Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.

For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Then he said to the host who invited him,

"When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.

Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.

For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." 

~Lk 14:1, 7-14

 

Bishop Robert Barron gives a great sermon on why the only winner in life is the one who does not play the game of pride.

And the opposite of pride is humility, the word derived from “humus” or soil.  You will be infinitely happier!

This was just a brilliant pastoral homily by Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit, Michigan. 

Remember you are dust and into dirt you shall return.  I had to listen to that more than once.  How important can you be if you one day will return to humus?

 

Sunday Meditation: "For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”

 

Let’s close with a soul searching “Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord” by John Michael Talbot.

 

Sunday Meditation: Hypocrisy Versus Humility

This Sunday begins the final discourse of the five discourses in Matthew’s Gospel.  Jesus begins with another excoriation against the scribes and Pharisees, this time calling them hypocrites.

 

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,

"The scribes and the Pharisees

have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.

Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,

but do not follow their example.

For they preach but they do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry

and lay them on people's shoulders,

but they will not lift a finger to move them.

All their works are performed to be seen.

They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,

greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'

As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.

Call no one on earth your father;

you have but one Father in heaven.

Do not be called 'Master';

you have but one master, the Christ.

The greatest among you must be your servant.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;

but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

~Mt 23:1-12

Humility is at the heart of this message, and hypocrisy in many ways is the opposite of humility.  After all, a hypocrite feels himself above the very thing he preaches.  Jeff Cavins has a wonderful sermon on this.

 

That was excellent.  Now if you have ever wondered why we call priests “Father” while in this very passage Jesus says to call no one father, Dr. Brant Pitre explains.

 

That makes sense.  

Meditation: "Whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Sunday Meditation: Your Place at the Banquet

 So where will you sit?

 

He told a parable to those who had been invited,

noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.

"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,

do not recline at table in the place of honor.

A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,

and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,

'Give your place to this man,'

and then you would proceed with embarrassment

to take the lowest place.

Rather, when you are invited,

go and take the lowest place

so that when the host comes to you he may say,

'My friend, move up to a higher position.'

Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.

For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,

but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Then he said to the host who invited him,

"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,

do not invite your friends or your brothers

or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,

in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.

Rather, when you hold a banquet,

invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;

blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.

For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Lk 14:7-14

 

Brant Pitre again gives a wonderful exegesis. 

Humility, humility, humility.  So unless you’re father of the bride, don’t do it.