PROUD to be HUMBLED

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

October 24, 2010

We have heard about the story of the Pharisee and the Tax collector several times, and we all know how the proud Pharisee is humbled for exalting himself while the Tax collector is exalted for being humble.

Allow me to argue the case of the Pharisee.

Pharisees were Religious leaders who encouraged the Jewish people to pursue righteousness by following the Jewish laws and not compromising with the beliefs of the Romans. They were very influential to the common people and were respected by the Romans for this.

They were so serious in following the laws of Moses that they began imposing their conservative interpretation on to it to the point of legislating “implementing rules” on how to follow the Mosaic Law. They called these rules, “the oral law” and by faithfully obeying the oral law, they were assured to have followed the Mosaic Law.

The Oral law is not as simple as the rules that we are required to follow in Church such as genuflecting. Oftentimes, they were even more difficult to follow.  One of those rules was “Tithing” which mandated them to give 1/10 of whatever they own or earn to the poor. So if this Pharisee earned 1,000 talents, he would give up 100 talents to the poor. A talent was 33kg of silver, which today is more or less $13,530 or P 581,790.00[1]. That’s a lot of money.

Another rule was to fast twice a week (every Monday and Thursday) as an intercession for nation building. Hence, the sacrifices of the Pharisee were also for the Jewish nation.

Admittedly, not everyone could follow what the Pharisees practiced. Hence they deserved to be lauded and emulated. Obviously, the Pharisee had something to be proud of.

In stark contrast, the Tax collector was the exact opposite of the Pharisee. He was not a leader of the Jews but a servant of Rome. He did not follow the law of Moses but instead enforced the law of the Roman Oppressors particularly on Taxation.

The Tax Collector was not a nation builder, but considered a Traitor because he was building the Roman Empire.

He was not giving anything that he owned but instead was getting more than what was required through over assessment. He usually extorted people, threatening them to be arrested by the Roman Soldiers if they would not pay the tax he assessed of them.  The Jewish people hated them, and the Romans only saw their worth on the amount of taxes that they could collect.  Obviously, the tax collector had a lot to be ashamed of.

Yet in Luke’s version of the Gospel, Jesus tells us that it was the Tax Collector who was justified and not the Pharisee. This was for the simple reason that the Pharisee look down on the tax collector. If God is happy with penitent sinners, isn’t he also happy with those who strive hard not to avoid sin?

  

This judgment doesn’t seem fair for the Pharisee. He made so much effort to follow the law but in the end it was the Tax Collector who was justified. Had the Pharisee known this, then he wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of devoting his entire life in taking the law seriously.

  

What went wrong here? He didn’t do anything bad to the tax collector. He just thought that he was better than him for all the things that he was able to make in contrast of the others. What was wrong with that? If the Pharisee committed a sin in looking down at the tax collector, surely it was nothing compared to the sin of the tax collector. He has done so many accomplishments compared to the tax collector.

The accomplishments of the Pharisee are indeed remarkable and extraordinary.  But accomplishments themselves do not gauge our salvation. The Pharisee forgot one important thing- He forgot to ask for God’s mercy. He was too meticulous in following the law, the traditions and rituals to the extent of compromising its real intent and purpose.

He became too self-righteous that he forgot that he was still a sinner who needed God’s mercy to be saved. 

At different points in our lives we have become like the Pharisee and the Tax collector. If we are ahead of others, it is partly because God allowed it to happen.

The purpose of St. Luke in composing the parable this way was not to discourage the people who strive hard to become righteous. Rather, it was meant to remind us that everything that we accomplished was made possible because of God’s love and mercy.

We just have to do what we can and need not take life too seriously just like the Pharisee. No matter how righteous we think we have become, we are still sinners who need to ask for God’s mercy. Hence we should not look down on others.

It is God who saves us, not ourselves. God assures us that even if we have done the exact opposite of what we are suppose to do; we can always repent and change. A penitent sinner is always a recipient of God’s mercy and therefore can still be justified.

In the final analysis, it appears that life even on heaven is not fair.

The thing that saves us is not only Divine Justice but Divine Mercy. 


Lord God, your honor, I rest my case.

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Reading 1

Sir 35:12-14, 16-18

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.
The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;
it does not rest till it reaches its goal,
nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds,
judges justly and affirms the right,
and the Lord will not delay.

Ps 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23

Responsorial Psalm

R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18

Reading 2

Beloved:
I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Lk 18:9-14

Gospel

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."

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[1] P 43.00 = $1.00