Pastor's Letter 20221023 - 23 October 2022 - The Prayer of the Lowly Pierces the Clouds

[Father Michael]

October 23^rd, 2022

30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Message from Father ^†Michael

Today’s Theme:“The Prayer of the Lowly Pierces the Clouds”

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

(Sirach 35:12-18)  Our First Reading (taken from the book formerly called Ecclesiasticus,) we hear from Jesus ben Sirach, (writing ca. 180 B.C.)  Basic to his thought, and, in contrast to later, New Testament theology, was the idea that each person receives what he/she deserves from God, according to a rigid merit system.  This comes from the thought, (found in Torah,) that an inflexible and impartial method of justice, pertinent to human merit, was to be seen as divine law.  Thus, dutiful performance of the law was seen as a requirement for all Jews seeking justification.  This is in contrast to New Testament theology, which teaches that all persons can be justified, regardless of station, and their prayers will be heard by God.” 

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(2 Timothy 4:6-18)  ^†Paul, imprisoned in Rome by Nero, was martyred there (ca 64 A.D.)  In today’s Epistle, He referred to his life as a sacrificial “libation,” being poured out like wine, as was the custom during many Jewish ceremonies (also common for the Greeks and Romans.)  Offered as an inspiration to all believers, he committed his life to keeping the faith, in spite of all odds, and in defiance of all indifference and persecution.  For that reason, he looked forward to his death, with the hope that the “crown of salvation” would be given to him by the Just Judge, the Lord, Himself.  In like manner, our faith teaches that all the faithful can share forever in Jesus’ conquest of sin and evil.  

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(Luke 18: 9-14)  ^†Luke gives us another lesson in which Jesus questions the status quo of His time.  By His teaching and lifestyle, Christ challenged the value system of His contemporaries, causing them to rethink centuries-old traditions and cherished opinions.  Today’s parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector shows the Pharisee to be an exemplar of “the righteous life,” in accordance to the Old Law—the norm by which others of his day gauged their own lives.  Unfortunately, he didn’t truly know or understand God, nor humanity, and thus held an incorrect concept of himself!  Flaunting his own merits before God, he didn’t even ask the Source of all Life for His blessing!  He believed his good works afforded him salvation as his “due.”

On the other hand, Zacchaeus, a tax-collector, was devoid of much wealth, and had few friends.  (Tax-collectors’ usurious methods put them outside the pale of acceptable society.)  However, Zacchaeus was drawn to Jesus, especially as the incarnation of God’s love and mercy for sinners, and shows his faith in his simple prayer for forgiveness.  As such, Zacchaeus is given to us as a prime example of the repentant sinner, deserving of our admiration for his humility before God.  Forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption are gifts of God, that only the humble will recognize and only the needy will receive.

“Us” versus “Them”

In our “inter-connected” world, full of myriad opportunities to observe the behavior of others, laid bare for us to see, it’s virtually impossible not to make value judgments and comparisons.  In fact, many of the “revelations” that we see, hear and read are presented for just that purpose!  Some, (particularly political ones,) are written in a sarcastic tone, presented specifically to lead us away from the behavior (and electoral choice,) they highlight.  As such, we are enticed to accept the opinion of the author and join with their approach.  They play on human emotions, and our task becomes not to blindly accept their authority, without careful discernment. 

The prideful Pharisee in today’s Gospel was not an unholy man.  In fact, he was a good, family man; an upright citizen.  But his entreaty was “boastful,” rather than prayerful.  His attitude was that of a person who believed his behavior “entitled” him to eternal salvation, not simply his earthly position and its benefits.  

Continuing our theme of “prayer” this week, we should consider not only “how” we should pray, but also “why” we should do it at all.  We must keep in mind that God doesn’t “need” our prayers, nor our praise.  As the consummate “perfect” Entity, He is complete unto Himself, and has no “requirements” from His creation.  For us to believe that our lifestyles or our petitions engender a sense of satisfaction in Him, and thereby entitle us to be rewarded, is fallacious.  Nothing we think, do or say can “earn” any meritorious grace.  

We should always keep in mind that salvation, grace, mercy and forgiveness are “gifts” to us from the Almighty!  They are not “owed” to us, in any sense, as would be “wages” for work performed.  If there were a “merit system” for them, that would suggest that God is “partial” to some people, and not to others.  Rather, in thanks for these benefits, we should be properly grateful, and live our lives as one who appreciates what has been given to us.

One of the dangers we encounter should we consider ourselves “chosen” for eternal life, is that would mean God has made the decision for us—in advance. This is by no means an easy-to-understand concept.  It is a valid perspective, however, to understand that culture and history indeed suggest that we do live in a “pay-for-play” world—and as far as human, interactive societies are concerned.  Except in cases of socially-designed charitable situations, we would not expect to be “paid” unless we do a proper “job,” performed within acceptable parameters for its completion.  And, then, we routinely, absolutely demand payment….

But we cannot do “cost accounting” with God’s gifts.  He has given each of us free will, with which we may choose act in accordance with moral, righteous and acceptable norms—or not….  In order to codify them, ancient and modern philosophers have wrangled with the concepts of “acceptable behavior,” and the “will of the gods” for time immemorial.  But any cursory study of their conclusions will give one a myriad of “choices” to consider for many situations.  

In such analyses, the positions of the idealists, realists, pragmatists, existentialists or any number of others, still leaves us with the question of how best to serve our Creator.  As Christians, we have the teachings of Jesus Christ, our divine Savior, upon which to base our lives—or not.  The choices are ours to make, and we do so during each conscious moment of our lives.  

Our very act of meditative prayer indicates we are seeking spiritual guidance in order to make our lives more perfect; more Christlike; more “saintly.”  We treasure the examples of the lives of the saints, who have shown us, by their selfless thoughts, words and deeds, how to do just that.  Like ^†Paul, they have shown us that lives lived in service to God is not an easy one.  It demands sacrifice, privations and giving-of-self, beyond expectations, with a humble and gracious sense of acceptance of our life on earth.  

This means that our prayers should be offered with thanks and praise to God for the many blessings we receive.  To expect more, when considered in this vein, becomes prideful!  From our first to our dying breath, we are blessed by our Almighty Father with our very existence!  When faced with challenges in life, for the most part, we discover they are the result of dealing with one or another sociological or psychological expectation, or “norm.”  Family problems; work problems; community problems; international problems; all stem from challenges we encounter in our interpersonal dealings.  We must always keep in mind that not one of them come from our relationships with God!  

It may be difficult to avoid comparisons with others, but we should always keep in mind that our relationship with our Creator is thoroughly personal—one-on-one.  

May God Richly Bless You!

Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people; a heart that forgives the worst;

A mind that forgets the bad; and a soul that never loses faith in God.

With a Voice of Joy.docx

To view a recording of today's Holy Mass, click here:  

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2022 by Father Michael