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Homily for the thirtieth
Sunday of the year - Year C - Lk. 18:9-14
by
Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen
" Jesus also told this
parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and
despised others: «Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I
fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax
collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,
but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell
you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other;
for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles
himself will be exalted.» "
Homily:
" Jesus also told this
parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and
despised others. "
As he did last Sunday, the
Lord speaks to us today about 'righteousness'! He tells us a parable
that addresses itself to those who take pride in being righteous! There
are indeed some people who believe themselves to be righteous, but
without this really being the case... They are 'righteous' because they
believe themselves to be righteous, but actually they are not. They
believe in themselves and not in God! That is where the problem lies!
Those who believe in God are righteous: "He who through faith is
righteous shall live." (Habakuk 2:4) But those who believe in
themselves are not justified, for they will always find, within
themselves, a certain limit - that which belongs to them as
creatures - that will prevent them from being righteous.
Man is limited: he is a
creature! He therefore cannot find his justification in himself, but
rather must seek it in someone other than himself. Man, as creature,
depends on God, his Creator. Man is a created being: he does not depend
on himself, but rather on another. God is perfect in himself and does
not depend on a being other than himself. Therefore, it is in God that
man can find his justification. Now, properly speaking, it is faith
that allows us to find God and to unite ourselves with him through
charity. So, it is truly through faith in God that man is justified. If
a man or woman believes that he or she is justified, it must therefore
be the case that this man or this woman believes that God justifies his
or her entire person in Christ.
" «Two men went up
into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus by himself, `God, I thank thee that
I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like
this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I
get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up
his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to
me a sinner!'» "
The Pharisee in question
does not believe that God justifies him: on the contrary, he believes
in himself, which is a grave and culpable fault, a sin of pride without
equal! The Pharisee believes in the righteousness of his works, instead
of believing in the righteousness of the grace of God! He performed
many good works: this is, in itself, a very proper means of
justification. But, instead of considering these works to be a means,
the Pharisee takes them to be an end in themselves. Consequently, God
cannot justify him, since he mistakes creatures for the Creator! One
may be very active in performing good works, but if the intention
behind all this action is not pure, then we must fear the worst... God
blesses our acts only if our intentions are pure!
The tax collector doesn't
offer anything to God. He has nothing, he did nothing, or almost
nothing... He offers to God only his poverty, or in other words, what
he is: a sinner! That is all. His prayer is finished. But his prayer is
a true prayer. On the other hand, the prayer of the Pharisee consisted
of a thorough eulogy of self-praise. The poor tax collector prayed
well: he presented himself before God as an unworthy servant. "We are
unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty." (Lk. 17:10)
The tax collector considers himself to be someone who must rely on God
for everything, and this is why the Lord justifies him!
" «I tell you, this
man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every
one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will
be exalted.» "
He who humbled himself was
justified; he who exalted himself was condemned! What a mystery! How
appearances deceive us! We must do all we can for our salvation, in
order to merit Heaven and avoid hell. But after having done all that we
must do - that is, after having carried out the will of God on earth -
we must present ourselves before God as unworthy servants... Let us not
forget: it is not the abundance or the greatness of the works we will
have accomplished that will be of value in gaining us our eternal
salvation. Rather, it will be the intention with which we will have
performed these same works that will be the sole testimony in our favor
on Judgment Day!
During this Sunday's
celebration, we are going to present to God all of our works from this
past week. Let us therefore do everything with a pure intention, one
that pleases God! Let us ask the Most Holy Virgin Mary to purify our
heart and to present it to her Son in the Eucharist!
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