THE
COLLECT SERIES
The Collect for the 30th Sunday of Year reads as
follows:
Almighty
ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity,
and
make us love what you command,
so
that we may merit what you promise.
Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who
lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one
God, for ever and ever.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS.
In making this prayer tangible
for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged.
1. What is my current level of faith, hope and
charity? Give myself a stock take of my
spiritual life overall especially in these areas.
2. Why do I want or desire God to increase my
faith, hope and love?
3. Why do I want God to make me love what He
commands?
4. What does this mean? What does God promise?
5.
How may I merit what God promises this coming
week.
GOSPEL REFLECTION.
The Gospel is from St. Luke 18:9-14. Jesus forgave sinners, especially those who regretted
what they have done. Jesus did not condemn them but brought them forgiveness, healing and
peace. During His hidden life in Nazareth, and especially during His public
life when He travelled through the towns and villages of Palestine, Jesus met sinners of all kinds, never
providing any harsh word to any of them. They may have deserved it because of
their sins but never a harsh word.
However, Jesus was accused of mixing too freely with them. His answer
was that "it was those who were ill who needed a doctor, not those who
were in good health." The sinners He met knew that they were ill. They
regretted their sins. He forgave them.
Jesus however did
speak condemnation on the Pharisees and for whom He foretold an unhappy ending.
These were the Pharisees. In Mt. 23, the whole chapter is devoted to Christ's
condemnation of them. It contains eight "woes" which He utters
against them. He calls them by many unflattering names. One was "whited
sepulchres, appearing beautiful to men on the outside but full of dead men's
bones and all uncleanness within" (23: 27). Such harshness, coming from
the gentle Christ, may surprise us, but knowing as He did that pride, the first
and basic sin of mankind and the root of all other evil in the world, was so
ingrained in their very hearts, that they could never seek forgiveness, He
stated nothing but the truth concerning them or to them.
In this parable
which He addressed to the Pharisees themselves, He tells them once more where
their pride will lead them. They will be excluded from the kingdom of God,
because they will not admit or repent of their pride and their lack of charity.
Instead of thanking God for the many gifts He had given them, they almost
demanded thanks from God for being such pious people. They had virtues. They
avoided serious injustices. They did not commit adultery. They fasted often.
They paid all their Temple dues, but it was all done, not for the honor and
glory of God, but for their own honor and glory. They told the world about it.
They demanded the first places in the synagogues, and special marks of
reverence on the streets. They had to be called "masters" as they
claimed to represent and interpret Moses to the ordinary people.
One thing that we
can learn from this sad story of the Pharisees is that, while God approves of
no sin, His mercy and His forgiveness is available for all sinners except the
proud. It isn't that God cannot or will not forgive the sin of pride but that
the proud man will not ask for God's forgiveness.
We must all be on
our guard against this insidious and destructive vice. It is insidious because
it can grow in us almost without our knowing it, and once it has taken root it
is difficult to eradicate. It is destructive because it spoils every other
virtue we practice and every good work we do. Charity, or brotherly love,
cannot flourish in a proud heart, for a proud heart is so full of self that it
has no room for others. No true love of God can exist in a proud heart, for even the very
acts of religion which a proud man performs, are done for the motive of
self-glory and not for the glory of God. The Pharisee in this parable proves
that fact. He boasted of his good works.
Some simple questions can identify whether or
not we are proud. These include:
1.
Do we like others to see and hear of our good works, or do we
prefer to do them in secret?
2. Do we give as generously to
charitable causes when no list of benefactors is published?
3. Do we willingly take part
among the rank and file in parish activities or do we feel offended if we are
not the leaders?
4. Do we criticise offhand
those who are not all they should be, or do we thank God that we were saved
from similar temptations?
5. Do we always try to find an
excuse for the failings of others or have we excuses for our own faults only?
When we are
pondering these questions, we might also refer to the Scripture of the two men
praying in the temple. One prays to himself whilst the other man dares not look
up but pleads ‘’Be merciful a sinner’’.
The opposite of pride is the virtue of humility. You may wish to check out my series on the
virtues as each of the virtues are the answer to or the medicine for the seven
deadly sins. People often have issues
with a confused understanding with regard to humility or a healthy
understanding of what humility it is and is not. It is definitely not a putting down of oneself
or the gifts that God has given you.
During this week as we take a stock take of our spiritual lives
especially in the areas of faith, hope and love, we may also, in the light of
this Gospel consider where we stand in relation to pride.
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