We have in our gospel for today the parable about the proud Pharisee and the humble tax collector. The Pharisee was busy telling God how great he was! He's not greedy, dishonest, adulterous, plus he fasts twice a week. How nice! He's saying to God, "Look at how great I am!" But there's one thing he is that he fails to recognize: He's judgmental. He reads off all the things he does for God and then goes on to say that he's happy he's not like that tax collector.
The tax collector, on the other hand, realizes his sinfulness and pleads, "O God, be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13). He's not concerned about the Pharisee or anyone else in the temple near him. He's more concerned with asking God to have mercy on him and to help him develop a closer relationship with His Creator. He knows his shortcomings and is turning to God for help.
How many of us go before God, whether at church or in private prayer, and tell Him about all the great things that we have done? We have to remember that God knows us better than we know ourselves. During Lent we are called to fast and pray and try to review how we are living our lives according to God's will. But we are not to brag about it. It's about being humble before God. It's all about how we are to become better Christians. During Lent (and always) we are not to worry about how other people may or may not be falling short in their relationship with God.
Between now and Easter Sunday let us reflect upon what our Lord is telling us: "... everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I can relate to the proud Pharisee, to the rich young man, & to the elder son in the parable of the Prodigal Son. I don't see myself as better than EVERYBODY, but I view people on a continuum of better people & worse people & because I have been blessed with having been raised in a very loving, Christ-centered, obedient, faithful, active & authentically devout Catholic family, educated in Catholic school, have always been serious about avoiding sin and doing good, have cooperated with my upbringing, the Church, and the grace of GOD in avoiding the pitfalls of the sins of the flesh, and have found my joy, fulfillment & sense of significance in my involvement in Church ministries, I acknowledge that GOD loves everyone unconditionally but i
I also desire GOD'S approval & want GOD to be proud of me & see & favor me as a beloved daughter in whom He is well pleased-- maybe in the top 35 %. Except for my fear of suffering, which is a stumbling block, I would like to see myself as a potential saint. Not unlike that Pharisee I tend to find my identity in my resume of the Church ministries that I consider the best part of my life.
I have heard that we should not consider ourselves better than anyone else, but the Church DOES recognize differences in people, since throughout Church history & even in our present time the Catholic Church recognizes people who have lived exemplary holy lives of heroic virtue & canonized them as saints & holds them up as role models to emulate. St. Therese of Lisieux aspired to sainthood & sought to raise up "an army of little saints" , but her message & method were rooted in GOD'S mercy & our littleness & in her own "little way" she was humble, a balance of delighting in GOD'S grace & favor with personal humility as reflected in Our Lady's MAGNIFICAT!
Maybe the answer that I glean from your above blog post is not to look around at anyone else at all or to make comparisons at all but to see myself & everyone else as being on our own individual journey that is ultimately between each individual
person and GOD & probably a trusted confessor. Naturally we look to see how we can help everyone as a brother or sister, but otherwise it is not up to us to look around but to focus on looking up to GOD & to look inward at ourselves, both the good & the bad in us & in Our LORD'S continuing work within us.
Yes, Arlene, we shouldn't be so worried about those around us in church or in our lives to the point of thinking that we're better than they are just because they don't do as much in church as we think they should. As you mentioned, we are all on our own spiritual journey. Our first concern is to try to improve ourselves in our relationship with God. Naturally, it is okay to pray for others that God may help them in their journey of faith, but we should never think that we're better than they are in our mutual relationship with God.
Delete