THE PRAYER OF THE HUMBLE PIERCES THE CLOUDS

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 18:9-14

The parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee is very simple and straightforward. Two people presented themselves in the temple, one characterised by his profession and the other by his religious affiliation. 

In spite of holding an important job, which should bring him respect, the tax collector was despised on several accounts. Suspected of embezzling state money and of overcharging people, they were seen as thieves. And they were hated and despised as collaborators of the colonial power, which oppressed the people. Thus the tax collectors were considered big sinners and any decent person should stay far away from them. Seen as beyond redemption, how could a tax collector dare to enter the temple and address God in prayer?

The Pharisee was a strict follower of the Law, who tried to excel in everything he did. He tried to be faithful, staying away from anything that might make him impure. People like him were nicknamed Pharisees, that is the “separated ones” because they avoided all contact with anybody considered a sinner. Religiously speaking, the Pharisee belonged to a group of people who considered themselves to be the best.

In the parable, Jesus presents in contrast two completely different kinds of people, one standing for the best and the other for the worst. Both of them went into the Temple to pray and, in the prayer, they revealed their true selves. The Pharisee turned out to be a man full of himself, proud and arrogant, who despised everybody else. Instead of giving thanks to God, he turned his prayer into self-praise, at the same time, passing judgement on the others. On the other side, the tax collector makes a very simple and sincere prayer. Before God, he recognises his sin and asks for forgiveness. In his prayer, there is not an attempt at pretending. Ashamed of himself, he does not go to the forefront, but stays at a distance and humbles himself before God. Jesus tells us that God accepted his prayer and he went home justified.

With the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee, Jesus returns to the theme of the parable of the prodigal son: the Pharisee is like the elder son, a man full of pride and self-righteousness, who thinks that he has rights over God, and the tax collector is like the younger son, who misbehaved, but acknowledged his sin and returned to ask for forgiveness. In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus presents two ways of being and living; in today’s parable, Jesus contrasts two ways of approaching God in prayer: with humility, acknowledging our weaknesses and our sin, or with pride, demanding to be awarded the prize we think we are entitled to. However, as we find in the book of Sirach, only "the prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and it will not rest until it reaches its goal;” (Sirach 35:21).