[img]http://www.catholica.com.au/sunday/images/Y-not_an_640x166.gif[/img]
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The LORD is a God of justice,
who knows no favorites.
Though not unduly partial toward the weak,
yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.
The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan,
nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.
The one who serves God willingly is heard;
his petition reaches the heavens.
The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;
it does not rest till it reaches its goal,
nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds,
judges justly and affirms the right,
and the Lord will not delay.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
The Lord confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The Lord redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
Beloved:
I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
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."
I've probably always seen the lesson of this parable to be about the pride that wealth may generate and the natural humility of the poor. It is a fact that the rich person is more likely to be proud of the result of his efforts, or even of his inherited wealth, than the poor whose fight is focussed on what is within - the evil of greed, envy and self-love. But now I see that the target is in fact the pride that despises others, and the target audience is everyone:
>Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.
You will occasionally meet very poor people who despise everyone above them on the social ladder. Even while telling you those others are mere social climbers who would do anything to get ahead, they themselves are eaten up with envy.
This is not restricted to economic competition. It is also in the conflict of ideas and the efforts of those dedicated to social reforms vs the conservatives' mantra 'If it ain't broke don't fix it', an attitude inspired by their reluctance to disturb their comfortable lives with changes to the way things are.
What is the cause or origin of this deadly pride? The gospel does not attempt an analysis but simply quotes what looks like an ancient 'wisdom saying':
"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
A recent article by Ilia Delio could stand as a good reflection on this gospel passage. In this article (posted on the forum recently) Delio observes 'With so much spirituality around, one wonders why we have such a divided world.' http://www.catholica.com.au/forum/index.php?id=246070
'While there is a lot of spirituality permeating the human net, there is too much ego for spirituality to really be effective. Everyone wants to be a star. Everyone wants to shine out, to be important. Social media can be notoriously ego-building. We profile ourselves so others will notice: “Isn’t she wonderful!” “What a great idea!” “You are really special!”'
'The truly spiritual person never defines oneself as “spiritual,” no less “deeply spiritual,” because the truly spiritual are truly other-centered.'
'We see through the window of the saints that the spiritual life is a life of transforming ordinary human energies into super-human divine energies of love.'
You can read the article to see more about 'other-centeredness'. I would like to add an element which, while seated deep within the human Ego, drives our world as never before. It is competition. In another very interesting thread on the forum, Ray(O) and Ari discuss the tension and conflict of empires and hegemona. As I see it, Ray(O) nails it with his summation: "They do not like competition". http://www.catholica.com.au/forum/index.php?mode=entry&id=246129
It is one of life's paradoxes that competition is natural, inevitable, throughout the biosphere, but at the rational level it is another thing that we have to moderate, for unbridled competitiveness is deadly. The most superficial scan of world history shows the rise and fall of empires, each replaced by another, in its turn so jealous of its preeminence that it brings on its own destruction.
There is another factor.
The modern world with its integrated economies promising all the benefits of cooperation is still dependant on advertising. But advertising, like nothing else, fuels the fires of Ego. 'WE are the best!' it shouts day and night. Sport is of its nature, competitive but it is a harmless outlet for ambition provided the winner is truly modest - unashamedly humble - as a recent international champion has proven. Her modesty as encouraging as the vain boasting of some winners is sickening to watch.
Starting with the self, could we reflect on (and perhaps share as the spirit moves) the burning question: 'What in pratice can I contribute in the task of moderating the competitiveness in our nation, in our society, in our businesses, friends and families?'