30th Sunday of the year

30th SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2022: SIR 35. 15-17, 20-22; 2 TIM 4. 6-8, 16-18; LUKE 18. 9-14 Thrust: Humbly righteous! Indicative: Lack of humility makes one self-righteous. And self-righteousness is a big block on the way to righteousness 1. Our God is a God of righteousness. In Him, there is no partiality or prejudice. God in His Son Jesus redeemed us and made us righteous. He wants to keep us continually righteous. That is why He wants to liberate us from falsity, deviation, and perversion of sin. He wants to make us right and upright. 2. But self-righteousness is a big block to this righteousness. Self-righteousness is a mindset that makes one full of self. Consequently one cannot make enough space for God, for the true self, and others. Self-righteousness makes one self-centered and not God-centered, ego-dominated, and ego-promoting. 3. It makes one so proud and arrogant. Consequently, one is not humble before God and remains closed, presumptuous, and pretentious. One is not able to detect his false self and discover and foster his true self. And one is also not able to recognise, accept and appreciate others with their goodness. 4. What then is the remedy and antidote? It is humility that is threefold, namely, toward God, self, and others. We need that humility that makes us conscious of God’s holiness and greatness, realise and admit our sinfulness and unworthiness, see His mercy and forgiveness, depend on Him, take us closer to Him, and be surrendered to His holy will and ways. As Sirach affirms, “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds…it reaches the Lord… the Most High visits him and does justice.” 5. St Paul’s words, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, and I await the crown of righteousness,” may sound rather boastful and presumptuous. But they actually disclose his depth of authenticity and conviction. It is not confidence in his merit. Rather it is the deepest faith in God’s righteousness. 6. There is in fact an implicit humility. This makes Paul attribute to God’s grace all that he accomplished, and do everything for God. That is why we find such expressions as “I am poured out as a libation”; “The Lord, the righteous judge will award to me”; “But the Lord alone stood by me and strengthened me”; “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom”; “To him be the glory forever and ever.” 7. Then, we need that humility toward our own self. It enables us to see ourselves as we are. It makes us sincere enough to acknowledge our weaknesses and imperfections. True humility makes us throw away our false layers and masks that sheathe, hide, justify or defend our defects. It makes us discover and strengthen our true self, in God’s image and likeness. 8. Thus, on one hand, true humility keeps us down to earth in virtue of our fragility and on the other hand makes us soar high to grow in nobility. This happens through a steady process of self-realisation, self-acceptance, self-discipline, self-renewal, and self-transformation. 9. We need that humility in regard to others that makes us fraternal and charitable. One who is humble does recognize the dignity and the value of the other and so treats him with respect and honour. He does not despise or discard or degrade the other. He does not stick false labels on others in prejudice and discrimination. He readily acknowledges and appreciates the worth of the other. 10. In our parable at hand, the Pharisee is a symbol of self-righteousness. He is a total failure in humility in all three aspects, concerning God, self, and the other. He failed in the spirit of true devotion and communion with God. He failed in the true spirit of authenticity and integrity of self. He failed in the true spirit of fraternity and charity toward others. 11. On the other side, the tax collector stands as an example of deep humility: he realises his unworthiness due to sinfulness, realises his true self that needs to be renewed, and is truly charitable with no bias or judgmental attitude. 12. So sad it is that the self-righteous Pharisee resides in all of us in varying degrees but many are not even aware of it. And even if aware, they refuse to admit it; even if admitted, they are not bothered to work to change for the better. Money, power, position, competence and efficiency, and recognition make many self-conceited, arrogant, and self-glorifying. Direction: Loss of humility is loss of nobility and thus is the loss of fidelity, felicity, serenity, and eternity MISSION SUNDAY Thrust: Girded and guarded on mission! Indicative: There is so much talk about mission. A good number may be working in the missions. But what is more important is whether there is the real spirit and culture of mission 1. Today being the mission Sunday, our whole focus is on mission. We are called to be once again clear about mission and thus deepen our own sense of mission as well as sustain this task of mission that is proper to each one's life situation. 2. First of all, MISSION is everyone's. It is a duty and a right that is due to every believer and follower of Christ irrespectively. No one can monopolise it or evade it. Neither it is a privilege only of a selected few nor it is a lookout of only some. This universal binding is very important, so that everyone without exception, feels responsible and supported as well. 3. For long and even now, MISSION is regarded as the overriding duty of the clergy and the religious. While the mission is compulsory for them, it looks secondary and optional for the other faithful. But it is not so. No one is exempted from it. The ways of carrying out the mission may differ, depending on the different ways of life. Even the degrees of application may also differ, depending on the walks of life. 4. However this variance does not absolve anyone from this bounden duty. It is an obligation and not an option. It is a duty and not a favour. In so far as we are all followers of Christ, the supreme missionary in so as we are all members of the church, missionary by her very nature, all of us inherit and share the same task and journey of mission. 5. Accordingly, the mission of a pope or a cardinal or a bishop or a priest or a nun or a lay faithful may be different from others in their specific scope, role, functions and activities. They are not exactly the same but at the same time are not totally different. 6. What gives all of us commonality in our mission is: all of us share the same deposit of faith, the same baptismal consecration, the same Christian vocation, the very same mission of the Lord, the same grace and power of the Lord and also the same destiny and recompense of eternity. 7. Now broadly speaking, in the light of the holy Word of God, this same mission of Christ is twofold: preach and heal, that is, spreading God's s kingdom in word and deed. This is aimed at the liberation of humanity from the clutches of sin and the reintegration of humanity with renewed dignity. 8. The task is enormous. The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. Therefore both the number and also the quality of the workers must increase. We must pray for it and also work for it. Besides, this is a challenging and hard task. It is to live like lambs among wolves. There will be opposition, criticism, resistance, and persecution. 9. But there is no need to lose heart. It is God's work with us and through us. It is He who is going to sustain and guide. He will empower us with His own light and strength and steer our way. We need not trust and depend on worldly securities and guarantees. We should not count too much on our own capacities and realities. 10. Therefore our mission will be accomplished well and happily, if we own up the mission of Christ, if we feel responsible, if we do not privatize and monopolize it but share it in fraternal communion as collaborators and companions if we rely on God's illumining guidance and empowerment and thus commit ourselves with loyalty and zeal for God's reign of love and justice. (REFLECTION 2 FROM 2022, 26 MARCH) Focus: Humility is not just one of the many virtues but is the base and bottom line of all the other virtues. One who fails in humility fails in all 1. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”, so declares Jesus. Clearly, Jesus is teaching us the greatness of humility. He teaches us that only in humility do we find real greatness. Only those who are humble will be great in the sight of God and will be exalted. 2. The parable of the Pharisee and tax collector is a vivid description of this contrast between lack of humility and humility. The Pharisee represents the lack of humility and the tax collector, humility. The Pharisee is so self-righteous and haughty. Consequently, he fails to recognise his own human sinfulness and unworthiness before a holy God. 3. There is a total unawareness of the holiness of God that must make us humble in His presence. Instead, he glorifies himself before God; he enlists some religious practices as proof of his holiness. Instead of surrendering Himself to God’s mercy, he elevates himself as if there is nothing to correct and change. 4. Though he appears to thank God it is in fact an indirect thanking himself. He is presumptuous and complacent. He is so self-conceited that he becomes blind to his defects. He is covered by layers of the false self that rates itself as perfect and all better, holier, and greater than others. 5. True to the teaching of Jesus elsewhere (Matthew 7. 3-5), he is a real hypocrite who sees the speck in the other’s eye but does not see the log in his own eye. He labels, degrades, and despises others as thieves, rogues, adulterers, and good for nothing. He fails thoroughly in charity and benevolence toward others. He does not recognise and respect others’ dignity. 6. The end results are clear: the Pharisee is rejected by God who is displeased with him. But the tax collector is accepted and blessed and rewarded by God who is highly pleased with his humble heart. God does not look at what position we stand on but with what heart we stand before Him. Direction: Self-pride and self-glory are the root causes of all evils. They make us blind to our imperfections and contemptuous toward others. Humility and charity are the antidotes (REFLECTION 3 FROM 2021, 13 MARCH) Focus: Humility to repent and steadfastness to be loyal will always win God's favour; Instead, a self-motivated and self-gratifying spirituality is not pleasing to God God desires love and not mere sacrifices; He is more pleased with the growth in His knowledge rather than a multitude of empty offerings. He wants a devotion that is steadfast and not unstable. He wants a love that is profound and not shallow. He wants a love that is totally God-oriented and self-oriented. He wants a love that seeks to glorify God and not gratify the self. The Pharisee's prayer in the gospel is not pleasing to God and not accepted by Him. It is because it is full of self, self-righteousness, self-complacency, and self-glory. There is no humble admission of his own unworthiness. There is no sense of gratitude to God, dependence on Him, and closeness with Him. There is no submission to God. There is no fraternal feeling toward the other in respect and benevolence. Instead, the tax collector's prayer is readily accepted by God, because it springs from a contrite heart and humble spirit. He deeply acknowledges his sinfulness and freely surrenders to God. The Pharisee informs God about how great he is. But the tax collector is aware of how great God is, and how small and unworthy he is. By physical position, the Pharisee stands so close to the altar, but actually, he is far away from God’s mercy. Instead, the publican stands so far off the altar, but really, he is so close to God by heart. Direction: We go to God and we pray, not to inform or give Him new knowledge about our greatness or judge others how bad they are. No prayer is heard when it lacks charity and is prejudiced despising others