Be merciful to a sinner

XXX Sunday C Luke 18:9-14 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."

How to pray? For the past four weeks the gospels have been about prayer. 4 weeks ago, Jesus gave us the example of the mustard seed, and the wonderful things we can do through prayer even move mountains. Then the 10 lepers cured, but only one who returned to say thank you: prayer of thanksgiving. Then the poor widow and persistence in prayer. Today we have two examples, how to pray and how not to pray. It is important to consider the two men. The Pharisee and the Publican. One just, and the other unjust, one who did everything right, and one who did everything wrong. One’s prayer was answered the other ones wasn’t. The Pharisee was a good man. He fulfilled all the duties of his religion: he fasted, supported the temple, he was praying, but his prayer was not heard. The tax collector was not a good man. The tax collectors were not only bad, they were people who participated in an unjust government. He abused the people, collaborated with the oppressive government. Surely, he was not a man of prayer, he probably never fasted or gave a nickel to the temple. But his prayer was heard. What is Jesus saying? Are you saying that we should not go to Mass, fast, help the church and the poor? Jesus' parable would have been incredible to the people in Jesus' time. It would be like saying that the monk praying in his monastery all day was not going to go to heaven, but the masked Ice agents or the half-naked people marching in the gay parade are. How could this be? Is it bad to be a good person, to go to Mass every Sunday, to pray daily, to fulfill the Ten Commandments, to do the 5 precepts of the church, to be married in the church, to have your children baptized, to fast and to help? Of course not. This is not what Jesus is saying. The Pharisee was not bad for his moral conduct and piety, and the tax collector was not good for collaborating with an unjust government and extorting money from the people. The Pharisee's problem was his way of praying. He was conceited, he did good, but he wanted everyone to realize the good he was doing, even God. And the worst thing was his comparison with the other. "I'm not like him." The publican, on the contrary, knew that he was a sinner. He didn't dare raise his eyes to God. But he beat his chest saying, "Lord, have mercy on you, I'm a sinner." He was justified simply because he asked for God's mercy. Brothers and sisters, the message is easy. We must be just, we must pray, fast and help, but at the end of it all we must not forget that we are sinners, and we have to ask for God's mercy.