The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor"

Sunday Mass Readings

There are many reasons why people pray to God. There are those who pray to God because, they have no other means of support but the Lord. As the first reading (Sir 35:12-14, 16-18) suggests, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.” Through their prayer such people express their dependence on God. Others, like the Pharisee in today’s gospel reading (Lk 18:9-14), pray because they can show-off. They pray because they think its their prayer that saves them while it is actually God who saves us. They pray to justify themselves. The Pharisee thought of God to be like himself. He was projecting his image of hiself on God. In his mind God was like him; proud, arrogant, boastful, demeaning and self-righteous. But God is not like that. If we take our hint from today’s first reading, God has no partiality. If he is partial he is partial to the favour of those who are weak and oppressed.

The greatest example of prayer is the Cross. On the Cross Jesus said to the Father, “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” But he prayed that prayer, as he brought all of humanity before the Father. He prayed that prayer, embracing and taking upon himself the depravity of the entire human race. He prayed that prayer, after forgiving the very people who put him on the cross. There was no pride, no arrogance, no self-indulgence but rather only the cry of a lowly soul. And because of that prayer, not only did Jesus stand justified before God (Lk 18:14), but his prayer justified all of us before God.

In very practical terms, to pray is to transform ourselves into the image of Jesus on the Cross.

Fr. Satish Joseph