Sunday, October 27, 2019

“A God of Justice” by Rev. Paul Berghout (@FatherPB)



“A God of Justice” by Rev. Paul Berghout (@FatherPB)


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. Sirach 35:15-17,20-21

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.” Luke 18:13-14

Piety
Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Study
Narada, the Indian sage, was a devotee of God and thought that no one loved God more than he.  His self-righteousness began to lead him towards pride and arrogance.

The Lord read his heart and said, “Narada, go to this town on the banks of the Ganges for a devotee of mine dwells there. Living with him will do you good.”

Narada went and found a farmer who rose early in the morning and prayed, but the farmer pronounced the name of God only once, then lifted his plow and went out to his fields where he worked the whole day. Just before he fell asleep at night, he pronounced the name of God once again.

Narada thought, “How can this farmer be a devotee of God? He only prayed twice a day and then got himself immersed in his worldly occupation.”

When Narada voiced his opinion to God, the Lord said to him, “Fill a bowl to the brim with milk and walk all around the city. Then come back without spilling a single drop.”

Narada did as God told him and returned. Then the Lord asked him, “How many times did you remember me in the course of your walk around the city?” Not once,” replied Narada.  “How could I when you commanded me to watch that bowl of milk?”

The Lord said, “That bowl so absorbed your attention that you forgot me altogether. But look at that farmer who, though burdened with the cares of supporting a family, remembers me twice a day.”

The moral of the story: “A halo has to fall only a few inches to become a noose.”

The tax collector in today’s Gospel has a contrite and humble heart.  Striking his breast is a sign of compunction of heart like we do in the Penitential Rite.

Some of us may have been away from Sunday Mass for a few weeks, or months, or years. Maybe we need to talk to the Lord about our absence. For others, perhaps for most of us, that might mean our absence from practicing the faith in our daily lives.

Sometimes we want to join the Tax Collector and sit in the back and say, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.” We all need the mercy of God.

In contrast, the Pharisee is virtually praying to himself. It’s selfish self-talk: “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.”

About 80 percent of our daily communication is self-talk. Good self-talk comes from King David, who said, “Bless the Lord, my soul... and forget none of His benefits. He forgives all your iniquities.”

The Pharisee also took the tax collector’s “moral inventory,” which breaks a primary rule not to do someone else’s examination of conscience. Parents have to use discernment when assessing any sinful behavior in their children, so they focus on the issue at hand.

Since the Pharisee compared himself to the wretched tax collector by saying, “I am not like one of these,” the Pharisee lost his credibility in the eyes of Jesus. He should have said, “But for the grace of God, there go I.”

Next, this Pharisee mentions fasting twice during the week. This Pharisee was boasting, in other words, of an asceticism beyond the norm.

The Pharisee had a spirituality of achievement, performance, worthiness. It presents Christianity like, “We have the perfect medicine for what ails you: It’s called grace and mercy. But the only requirement for receiving it is never to need it!”

Action
We genuinely find both moral achievement and repentance linked throughout Jewish and Christian tradition. To take on the yoke of the kingdom of God is to commit to following the commandments.  However, one has also to be aware that no one is without sin (1 Kings 8:46; Proverbs 20:9). The two need to be kept in balance, just as we find God’s attributes of justice and compassion alongside each other.

A closing illustration:

A particular president happened to visit a prison and thus talked with each of the inmates. There were endless tales of innocence, of misunderstood motives, of how they should not be in prison, and of exploitation. Finally, the president stopped at the cell of a convict who remained silent.

"Well," remarked president, "I suppose you are an innocent victim too?"

"No, Sir, I am not," replied the inmate. "I am guilty and deserve my punishment."

Turning to the warden, the president said, "Here, release this rascal before he corrupts all these fine, innocent people here!"

The biblical saying proves true, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Pet 5:5).  Amen.

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