By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe C.S.Sp.
Readings: Sir 35:12-14,16-19; Ps.32:2-3.17-19.23, 2Tim4:6-8,16-18 & Lk. 18:9-14
Dear friends in Christ,
For a bicycle to move properly, the wheel and the hub must work together. So also is it with prayer and humility. The gospel reading of last Sunday centered on prayer, with an emphasis on the need for faith and perseverance when one prays. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus moves further to focus on the centrality of humility for effective prayer.
Humility is said to be the mother of all virtues given the important role it plays in authenticating the rest of the virtues. Take for instance that someone who makes a gift to you goes about boasting that he or she is the one supporting you without which you cannot survive. In that situation, the gift loses the quality of a true charity. Remember that Jesus warns that when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3). So it is also when someone claims to love you but constantly puts you down. The true meaning of love is then lost. That gives us a clue to how central humility is in our relationship with God and our fellow human beings.
In the Parable that Jesus used to bring out his teaching in the gospel, he talked about a Pharisee and a Publican who went into the Temple to pray, just as we all gather in the Church today to worship and pray. The Pharisee in his pride and self-assuming started to appraise his good deeds, making a presentation of how often he fasts, pays his tithes, and gives to the poor. He went on to exonerate himself from all wrongdoings, claiming that he is not like the rest of other men who are sinners and evildoers. He even pointed at the Publican (the Tax-collector) at the other end, saying that he is not like him – a sinner. It seems he was trying to impress God and probably making a case for a reward for his presumed virtues and good deeds. The Publican, on the other hand, was fully conscious of his shortcomings and, in his humility and self-emptying, recognized his sinfulness and beats his chest in sorrow saying, ‘have mercy on me a sinner.’ Jesus ended by saying that the Publican went home justified while the Pharisee was not, because whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
Let’s get closer to the identities of the subject that featured in this parable as narrated by Jesus. Both the pharisee and the publican were of Jewish origin and financially well off. So, it has nothing to do with material wealth or nationality. While the Pharisee enjoyed societal respect and honor as a religious role model of the time, the publican was detested for collaborating with the Roman occupiers. What gave the Pharisees the upper hand was their nationalistic and religious commitments against the Publicans who were seen as traitors and betrayers of their own people. This brief comparison helps us to place this parable in its context, and also to understand the meaning and context of the lowly as used in the first reading, “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”
In this parable, Jesus shifts emphasis on the impact of paychecks or socioeconomic status in the definition of the poor and lowly. To make this point clearer, the second reading shows St. Paul imprisoned, awaiting execution, abandoned, and his life being poured out like a libation. Everything had been taken away from him, his family, friends, wealth, adequate food, and so on and so forth. Yet he was spiritually peaceful and able to write, “The time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. And from now on the crown of righteousness awaits me”. St. Paul was writing from a place of supreme material and emotional poverty. However, because of his faith, he could feel like the wealthiest man in the world. He displayed complete abandonment and trust in the grace of almighty God. Humility, therefore, has to do with the acceptance of truth concerning oneself and recognizing one’s capacities and weaknesses. Humility is not about humiliating oneself but rather about taking one’s rightful place and being grateful for who one has become through the grace of God. It is a way of saying, ‘I acknowledge who I’m before God. I depend on him and it’s only with his grace that I can do anything worthy of praise.’ This is what Paul means when he wrote: “What do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (I Co 4:7).
What separates the Pharisees and the Publican was the ability to look inward, recognize the truth about oneself in relation to God, and refuse to judge others using one’s strength against their weaknesses. The only strength the Pharisee could use against the Publican is his religious social standing, which in itself turns out to be hypocrisy. It is a known human tendency to constantly compare with others and try to portray oneself as better than one’s neighbors, friends, and colleagues. That is the root of gossip, backbiting, jealousy, and lack of contentment. This parable also deals with the question of pre-judging others. It warns against the quick judgments on which we often base our concepts on others. The word “prejudice,” comes from “pre-judging”. It is a prejudice to judge people or their actions without knowing who they are, what they think, or why they do what they do. We pre-judge people all the time. A new person who looks different comes into our neighborhood, into our office, into our school, or even in our church, and we quickly map everything about the person based on past experiences or what we know of similar persons in the past.
Judging and despising one’s neighbor closes the door to God’s heart. Expressing contempt and scorn for others is beyond mean and proud. It stems from the assumption that one would be qualified to sit in the seat of judgement and publicly shame those who do not conform to one’s own standards. Certainly, God does not listen to someone who boasts of his or her goodness as if he or she achieved it without God’s grace, and even worse if that person condemns others on that premise. What is important is that we recognize God’s goodness to us, humbly seek His mercy and show mercy to others as well.
The Gospel has a number of practical lessons for us. People who puff themselves up and try to put others down are obviously not the most loved of people. Rather, it is those that care for others, help them become better, build self-confidence, recognize their worth and talents, and are able to make something for themselves in life that is loved and appreciated. In the same manner, Jesus makes it clear to us that relating with God our Father requires us to recognize our place with him, and approach Him with humility because “whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”. It is only in humility that our prayer can be heard, just as the wheel of a bicycle can only move if the hub is working properly. Prayer, therefore, becomes a conversation between two persons who are conscious of their positions and needs; a kind of relationship between parents and their children. Fear, pretense, puffed-up ego, and belittling others give way to love, respect, obedience, and worship. That is the position from which we can ask and enjoy God’s forgiveness in prayer.
Let us, therefore, cultivate the virtue of humility in our approach to God and in our relationship with our fellow human beings. Amen.