Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel, we have yet another parable about prayer. The “Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector” is the second parable where Luke gives us the precise reason for the parable. Last Sunday, we had heard the “Parable of the Persistent Widow”, and Luke’s introduction to the parable was, “Jesus told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary” (Lk 18:1). In today’s gospel Luke says, “Jesus addressed this parable (the Pharisee and the tax-collector” to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else” (Lk 18:9). Both these parables are about prayer.
To truly reflect on these parables, we must consider the reason Jesus shared these two parables on prayer. Both these parables are in Luke Ch18. In Chapter 17, first the religious leaders and then the disciples had asked Jesus about the end of times (Lk 17:20-37). Jesus said clearly that the kingdom he proclaims is not yet the end of time. There was to be a period in of expectation and anticipation (17:22). The two parables are meant to develop the right attitude during for the time of expectation and anticipation. One of them is about how to pray and the other about how not to pray. First, we should pray like the persistent widow who prays without getting weary. Second, we should not pray like the Pharisee because did not pray out of love for God but out of love for himself.
The practical implications are clear. The fact that we live in the in-between times is an invitation to live with great faith in God and with the right spirit toward our fellow human beings.
First, just as the persistent widow, we must pray without getting weary. That requires great faith in God. In fact, the parable of the persistent widow ended with Jesus saying, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth.” The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector describes true faith – one that is not based on self-righteousness but on right relationship with God and with our fellow human being. The tax- collector who did not even lift his eyes and beat his breast and prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” best exemplified true prayer. All the Pharisee did was pray to himself and ridicule his fellow human being. Neither God nor neighbor were part of his prayer.
As these two parables teach us, may our prayer be persistent. May our prayer be an expression of great faith. And finally may our prayer be based on and lead us to right relationship with God and our fellow human beings. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph