Oct. 27, 2019 -30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Sir 35:12-14, 16-18; 2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18; Lk 18:9-14)

Sirach cuts through appearances and states that he “who serves God willingly is heard” and the “prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.” Humble service is the hallmark of righteousness, not any accidents of state such as possession or poverty of money, power, or fame.

In the Gospel reading Jesus tells us about a Pharisee (an insider) and a publican or tax collector (an outsider), Luke prefaces the story with an explanation that Jesus was addressing “those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” This story isn’t just aimed at Pharisees, but all who trust that their own virtues will win them God’s favor.

The moral of the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector is that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and the humble exalted. Here, Jesus shows us the mechanics of that reversal of position of the lowly and the proud. It’s humility that’s the fulcrum of the seesaw that brings down the proud and lifts up the lowly. When we come before God with humble hearts waiting on his mercy, then he grants us justice or righteousness or holiness in proportion to our humility. Pride drives away God’s gift of holiness, but humility invites it in.

When we get our focus off ourselves, and recognize our lowliness before God, we find ourselves amazed at his love for us, despite all our weakness and poverty. Acknowledge your poverty before God and then give thanks for all your blessings.

• In every age, people have been tempted to make surface judgments about other people such as all the rich are refined; all the poor are lazy. Or the reverse: all the rich are cruel; all the poor are humble. Share how you might have struggled with these stereotypes and why?
• A way that we can “pour ourselves out”, like Paul talks about in the second reading, is to make ourselves a free gift to others. Have you recently made yourself a “free gift” to another? How has someone else has been a gift to you?
• What are some differences you noticed about how the Pharisee approaches God with his prayer and how the tax collector approaches God? How do you approach God in prayer and are there ways that you could improve your approach to prayer?