Homily for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time
The parable of the Pharaisee and the tax collector begins this way: “Two people went up to the temple area to pray…” (Lk 18:9-14) Shockingly, the sin-ridden tax collector left justified. The holy Pharaisee did not. What made the difference? One word, three letters. Ego.
When you go to church, or simply go to your favorite spot to pray, do you leave ‘justified’? Justified in this sense means to walk with God’s light guiding your steps, to have God’s power working on your behalf, to have God’s grace getting you through the tough times, to have God’s love surrounding you and holding you tightly in the palm of his hand. Do you leave with your life filled with new meaning, new purpose, and new hope. Or do you leave with your ego intact?
The Pharisee was doing all the right things. He wasn’t greedy, dishonest, or adulterous. He fasted more than the law prescribed. He tithed more than required. Why then was the tax collector justified instead of him? The Pharaisee’s inflated opinion of himself, i.e. ego, dwarfed that of the tax collector. So puffed up, there was no room for God to do the justifying.
Let’s compare how the two prayed, and learn from the tax collector how you and I can enter this sacred space with God and be justified.
The Pharisee speaks the prayer “to himself”. My guess is probably loud enough so others could hear. The tax collector starts the prayer, “O God”. Listen to your prayers. Are they a running conversation with yourself, or an opening to hear the voice of God?
The Pharisee “takes up his position” in a prominent place, standing, arms raised. The tax collector stands off at a distance, with his head down. When you go to church, or even to pray, is it ‘to see and be seen’, to feel good about yourself, or to enter holy ground? Are you humbled, or exalted?
The Pharisee thanks God that he is not like the “rest of humanity”, a pretty cheeky statement but has a little resonance anytime we gaze upon others with an air of superiority. The tax collector ‘beats his breast’, a sign of sorrow and repentance. He doesn’t compare himself to others but to the holy man God is calling him to be. And finds himself to be quite lacking, a position your ego and mine would find intolerable.
The Pharisee keeps his eyes on the tax collector while praying, letting his ego judge and critique. The tax collector’s eyes were “down cast”, introspective, conducting an honest, if not painful, self-examination. The ego of the Pharisee won’t let him see an inner fault but instead is quick to point out the faults of others, “greedy and dishonest”. The tax collector recognizes his defining characteristic: he is a sinner. From what vantage point do you enter your prayer?
The prayer of the Pharisee is self-sufficient. He uses the word “I” four times. I fast, I tithe, I am not like the rest… In other words, I (or my ego) am in control. The tax collector depends on God and God alone for mercy, repeating the mantra, “O God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The ego of the Pharisee justifies himself. The tax collector, absent of this swollen ego, is justified by God.
You might be thinking, that’s all well and good, but doesn’t apply to me. Jesus, however, addressed this parable “to those who were convinced of their own righteousness.” Do you know of someone like that? It is easy to see this tendency in others, but the ego keeps us from seeing it in ourselves. Surprise – this parable might be addressed to you.
We could repeat the opening a little differently: Two entered the temple to pray, one left justified – right with God, in harmony with God’s purpose, open to God’s grace – the other left with his ego intact.
What’s it going to be with you?
Post Note. If you’re looking for a way to deflate the ego throughout the day or the wee hours of a sleepless night when the mind is replaying a litany of offenses, repeat the prayer of the tax collector: “O God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”