“But the tax
collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but
beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” – Luke
18:13
OWNING OUR SINFULNESS
During
the penitential rite at Mass, I am guilty of saying in an almost
mechanical way, “I confess to Almighty God… I have greatly sinned…
through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” I
strike my breast at the same time, just because the revised Roman Missal
says so.
Embarrassing as it is to admit, it can be difficult to acknowledge my
own sinfulness. It is easier to identify the sins of others rather than
recognize my own. It is less painful to judge others’ shortcomings
rather than admit that I have hurt God. I turn the condescending
spotlight on others in order to keep it away from myself. I get arrogant
enough to think that, for as long as I’m not as bad as “them,” then I’m
good with God.
Truth is, all of us are sinners. All of us need God’s mercy and
forgiveness. He invites us to be truthful and to humble ourselves. He
will give us the grace to acknowledge our sins if we ask. Kitty D. Ferreria
1ST READING
Hosea
reminds us that we should strive to know the Lord. This is the right
focus for our lives — the Lord Himself and knowledge of Him. If we truly
know the Lord, then it is difficult to see how we can allow sin into
our lives. Knowing the Lord means that we understand that He is a
compassionate and loving God who is always ready to welcome us back when
we repent of our sins.
Hosea 6:1-6
1 “Come, let us return to the Lord, it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds. 2 He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence. 3 Let
us know, let us strive to know the Lord; as certain as the dawn is his
coming, and his judgment shines forth like the light of day! He will
come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” 4 What
can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your piety
is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away. 5 For this reason I smote them through the prophets, I slew them by the words of my mouth; 6 for it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
P S A L M
Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21
R: It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4] Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (R) 16 [18] For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 17 [19] My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. (R) 18 [20] Be bountiful, O Lord, to Zion in your kindness by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem; 19 [21] then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices, burnt offerings and holocausts. (R)
GOSPEL
Personally
achieved righteousness will not gain us access to the Kingdom of God.
If we rely upon what we can do on our own strength, we will never enter
the Kingdom of God. The nature of sin and the damage it causes means
that we are left in the situation whereby we need a “key” to enter
heaven. That key is offered to us by Jesus through faith in His death
and resurrection.
Luke 18:9-14
9 Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. 10 “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11 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. 12 I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ 13 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.’ 14 I
tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will
be exalted.”
REFLECTION
THE PRAYER GOD HEARS
A
Pharisee and a tax collector went to the temple to pray. God was
pleased with the prayer of the tax collector. The prayer of the Pharisee
was rejected. Although the Pharisee began with, “O God, I thank you…,”
the rest of his prayer was a self-congratulatory litany of his
accomplishments. The tax collector, on the other hand, could not boast
of even a single virtue. He could only mutter as he beat his breast with
head bowed, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And yet, the Gospel
concluded by saying that he went home justified.
We learn two lessons from this parable.
First, we catch God’s attention when we do things with sincerity. Sincerity comes from two Latin words: sine (without) and cera
(wax). Literally, sincere means without wax. In ancient times, actors
who performed on big stages wore masks made of wax to project to a large
audience the emotions they want to portray. To be sincere then is to be
without wax, or masks.
Secondly, we catch God’s attention when we do things in humility.
Humility is neither self-deprecation nor self-hate. We are not being
humble when we ignore our gifts and talents. That is false humility at
best. At worst, it is wallowing in low self-esteem. There is a thin line
separating pride and humility. Both begin with an acknowledgment of
one’s gifts and talents. But this self-knowledge becomes pride when it
is done in a spirit of isolation. Look at the Pharisee in the Gospel. He
knew his gifts and virtues but he saw them in a spirit of isolation, “I
thank you because I am not like the rest of humanity.” His gifts
isolated him from the community. This engenders pride and arrogance. But
when done in a spirit of communion, self-knowledge breeds humility and
gratitude. To acknowledge one’s gifts and talents in a spirit of
communion means to place one’s giftedness at the service of the common
good. That way, one can never be proud because one begins to see himself
as a servant. And service is kindred to humility. Fr. Joel Jason
"Lord, give me the grace to know my sins and be truly sorry for them."
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