Introduction: The main theme of today’s gospel is that true humility must be the hallmark of our prayers. But the central focus of today’s parable is not prayer, but rather pride, humility and the role of grace in our salvation. The first reading from Sirach is a perfect companion piece to the gospel parable. In one striking image from Sirach, the writer talks about "the prayer of the lowly, piercing the clouds to reach the unseen throne of God.” Such prayers are heard because they come from the hearts of people who know how much they need God. Although God has no favorites and answers the prayers of all, the oppressed, the orphans, the widows, and those who can least help themselves are His special concern. The best prayer is humble and selfless service. In the second reading, Paul celebrates the fact that he is near the finish line of his life, like a runner running a race, and that he has kept the faith right up to this point. He humbly awaits "the crown of righteousness" that only God can give him. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!"
Exegesis. The context: Luke's Gospel shows special concern for the poor and the outsider. This parable was told to encourage the Gentile converts who did not practice the Jewish Law as the Pharisees did. Luke was trying to convince his Gentile listeners that God values the prayer of any humble and contrite heart. Luke puts greater emphasis on prayer than the other gospel writers, and often mentions Jesus’ prayers (Luke 3:21; 6:12; 9:18; 9:28, 29; 11:1). The parables about prayer unique to Luke’s gospel are: 1) The Friend at Midnight (11:5-8), 2) The Widow and the Judge (18:1-8), and 3) The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14). These parables teach us to pray persistently, and humbly. The central focus of today’s parable is not prayer, but rather pride, humility and the role of grace in our salvation.
Analysis: The parable has a two-fold meaning, giving us i) a warning against pride and contempt for others, and ii) an admonition to approach God with a humble and repentant heart. The parable was mainly intended to convict the Pharisees who, on the one hand, proudly claimed they obeyed all the rules and regulations of the Jewish law, while at the same time they ignored the Mosaic precepts of mercy and compassion. The Pharisees were looked upon as devout, law-abiding citizens and models of righteousness. But they were proud and self-righteous. The tax collectors, on the other hand, were the most hated group because they collected taxes for a foreign empire, and became rich by cheating people, often threatening them with false accusations. In other words, they collaborated with the Romans and stole from the Jews. Hence they were considered by their fellow Jews to be traitors, unclean and sinful. The parable, however, shows that both men were sinners: the difference was that the publican realized that he was, but the Pharisee did not.
The assessment of their prayers: The devout Jews observed three prayer-times daily -- nine a.m., twelve midday and three p.m. They also considered prayer in the Temple as more efficacious than that made anywhere else. In the parable, Jesus tells us about two men who went to pray, a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee stood in the very front of the temple, distancing himself from his inferiors, and his prayer was egotistical. He looked upon himself as superior to other people, and listed all his pious acts. The Jewish Law required fasting only on the Day of Atonement, but this Pharisee fasted twice a week, possibly, on Monday and Friday, the market days, when the largest possible audience would see his whitened face and disheveled clothing -- the external marks of his fasting. Although he was required to tithe only on the production of his fields (Deut 14:22 & Num.18:21), this Pharisee paid tithes on all his wealth. He was sure that he had done all that the law of God required --and even more, thus creating a surplus of righteousness and making the Almighty his debtor.
The Pharisee’s prayer: In short, the proud and self-righteous Pharisee did not really go to pray to God, but only to tell God how good he was in the guise of thanking Him. He “said this prayer to” himself! His prayer was ineffective also because he was proud, despising all others including the tax collector, labeling them sinners. He was really a good man but he lacked compassion for others. also because he was proud, despising all others including the tax collector, labeling them sinners. He was really a good man but he lacked compassion for others. If the first big mistake of the Pharisee was to think that God would be impressed by his boasting, the second was in his thinking that he was better than others. The Pharisee got what he asked for, which was nothing, while the sinner got what he asked for, which was everything. Two things especially make our prayers void and of no effect: a proud sense of our own righteousness, and a contempt for others; but a humble heart is contrary to both of these.
The tax collector’s prayer: The second person was the tax collector. He stood at the back of the temple and would not even lift his eyes to God. He confessed his sins and humbly asked for God’s mercy: “Kyrie, eleison”- "O God, be merciful to me--the sinner." His prayer was short, but to the purpose. His heart broken humble prayer won him acceptance before God. His only virtue was his humility, which led him to repentance and prompted him to ask for mercy. While the Pharisee asked the question to God, “Am I not better than my fellow-men?” the tax collector’s question to himself was, "Am I as good as God?" Having defrauded his neighbors on behalf of the Roman overlords, the tax collector had much to be humble about. He was a sinner, personally and corporately, a state which prompted him to pray: "God be merciful to me -- the sinner.” The Pharisee prayed as one who needed no forgiveness, and he got none; the tax collector prayed as one who needed forgiveness, and he received it.
We might object to God’s forgiving the tax collector as he did not formally confess any sins, make a statement of repentance, offer to change his life or make any reparations for his sins (as the tax collector, Zacchaeus, did). God’s approval of his prayer might appear to us to be a cheap form of grace, but we would be wrong. The humble prayer of the tax collector implied all the formalities of repentance, restitution and change of life, and framed them in his awareness of his total unworthiness compared to the holiness of God. And so, as Jesus tells His audience and us, the result of that humble prayer for mercy was that the tax collector received it and went home truly "justified," i.e., "reconciled to God." St. Paul reminds us: “Not because of any righteous deeds we have done but because of His mercy, He has saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus: 3:5). The last words of the Gospel reading are a warning to us all: “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled; those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Messages: 1) Evict the Pharisee and revive the publican in each one of us. There is a big dose of the Pharisee's pride in us and a small dose of the tax-collector's humility. Hence in today’s gospel, Jesus invites us to make a pilgrimage from pride to humility. In a sense, the proud Pharisee in us thinks he is like God, forgetting that there is no room for two Gods in anyone's life. If we think we are God, we deceive ourselves. That’s why the humble tax collector, who asked God for mercy, went home reconciled with God while the proud Pharisee did not. If we are not sensitive to other people we are not sensitive to God. The Pharisee was not sensitive to the tax collector, and hence he was not sensitive to God. The tax collector was sensitive to his own failings and thus was equally sensitive to God. Sensitivity to other people and sensitivity to God go hand in hand. The deepest reason why so few of us are saints is that we will not let God love us. To be loved means to be defenseless before God, to surrender completely and unconditionally to Him, holding out empty hands to receive Him in all humility.
2) Let us have the correct approach in our prayer life. For most of us, prayer means asking God for something when we are in need. We conveniently forget the more important aspects of prayer: adoration, praise and thanksgiving. How many of us remember to say, "Thank You, God, for giving me another day," when we wake up in the morning? How many of us show our gratitude for our health, our jobs, our food and our other daily needs? As long as our earthly life runs along smoothly, we are likely to forget God. When misfortune strikes, however, we suddenly remember that there is a God and we want Him to come to our aid immediately. God, however, judges justly. He gives to each according to his merit. If we have forgotten God through our years of prosperity, how can we expect him to take notice of us when something goes wrong? God never intended us to spend our days on our knees. He intends us to be up and doing, earning our daily bread honestly, performing each day's work in a spirit of service. Our day's work and our day's recreation, if offered for the honor and glory of God, are prayers pleasing in His sight.
3) Let us rid ourselves of self-justification: It is a tragedy that those who justify themselves leave no room to receive grace. Morally they may be living exemplary lives, yet their self-justification leaves no room for the grace of God to take hold. God can not give grace to them because they are not ready to receive it; they are too full. If we are proud and complacent, there is not much room for God. On the other hand, if we are truly humble we will find grace, mercy and peace. There must be a space in our lives for grace to enter and work its miracle. One lesson of the parable for us is that we must keep our focus entirely on our relationship with God, recognizing that we are constantly in need of His mercy and forgiveness.
4) Let us ask for God’s unconditional love and mercy during the Holy Mass.
The Gospel is about God’s divine mercy. The tax collector saw this clearly: “Be merciful to me, a sinner.” We repeat this phrase at the Holy Mass and in the Divine Mercy Prayer: “Eternal Father, we offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.” This is why we are gathered together every Sunday morning. We tell God that we offer Him His dearly beloved Son in atonement for our sins. Let us conclude with the divine mercy prayer: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.”
Once there was a rabbi who was at the point of death. The Jewish community proclaimed a day of fasting in order to induce the Heavenly Judge to commute the sentence of death. When the entire congregation was gathered in the synagogue for penance and prayer, the village drunkard went to the village tavern for some schnapps (white brandy). Another Jew saw him and rebuked him saying, "Don't you know this is a fast-day and every one is in the synagogue praying for the healing of our rabbi? You shouldn't be drinking." The drunkard agreed, went to the synagogue and prayed,”Dear God! Please restore our rabbi to good health so that I can have my schnapps!"
The rabbi recovered, and his healing was seen to be granted because of the sincere prayer of the drunkard. Addressing his people on the following Sabbath, the rabbi prayed: "May God preserve our village drunkard until he is a hundred and twenty years! Know that his prayer was heard by God when yours were not because he put his whole heart and soul into his prayer!" [A Treasury of Jewish Folklore, Edited by Nathan Ausubel: page 161).