Deacon Tom Anthony

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 150

Reading 1 Sir 35:12-14, 16-18

The LORD is a God of justice,
 who knows no favorites.
 Though not unduly partial toward the weak,
 yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.
 The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan,
 nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.
 The one who serves God willingly is heard;
 his petition reaches the heavens.
 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,
 judges justly and affirms the right,
 and the Lord will not delay.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23

R. (7a)  The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Reading 2 2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18

Beloved:
I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

 MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

  

There is too much of a focus on status and prestige in society today. When we are asked to focus on things that are material in nature and are told that the more we have then the more we will be looked upon with some sort of importance, the individual personhood which defines us is at risk of being lost. Outward appearance is then used as a gauge for success or failure. There are those who have gained power through this false hierarchy while those who have less suffer just because they lack in material wealth. We are reminded through the Scripture Readings today that God does not show favoritism and does not look with more kindness on those who are rich and powerful. Instead, He hears the cry of the poor and oppressed and is able to comfort those in need because those who find themselves in a desperate situation have learned not to rely on things of this world but instead those things that come from God. Those who might find themselves rich in material wealth are more apt to find that they are poor in spirit; their faith being put into things of this earth instead of those things which are eternal.

Things that are created by the hands of man have a definite beginning and a definite end. Anything that comes into being through us has an expiration date, thus the power that they bring is also finite and fleeting. Because of our arrogance and pride we tend to put a high value on these things. We created them thus the importance that we put on them makes ourselves more important.  We have created something or have created the situation where we have benefitted from what came into being thus having it raises ourselves in stature and importance in our own eyes and the eyes of others. When it is treated with importance then by extension we are important and are placed higher among those whom we interact with. When this happens God is easily forgotten in favor of ourselves being god-like. Our relationship with God becomes secondary in favor of our position. There is not a lot of time left for God.

The less that we have in front of us to preoccupy our time then the more time we have for God. The more that we do with God at the forefront of our thoughts the stronger our relationship will become with Him and the more joyful our life will be. God offers a strong foundation from which we can build a joyful life. Everything that is done without Him at its center is weaker because He by His very nature makes everything stronger and everything good. There is no negative with God. All goodness flows from Him and influences everything by His presence. When we let God in we are made better, stronger, and more complete. Familiarizing ourselves with God and letting Him into our lives enables us to experience this life as He intended us to experience it. Living life without the presence of God or His influence immediately puts us at a disadvantage which cannot be overcome. At some point His absence will be felt and our weaknesses will be revealed.

As Christians we are all equal in the eyes of God. He levels the playing field. There is no competition with God only a pure love that is shared between the creator and that which is created. What each of us posses is for the benefit of ourselves and for those whom we interact with. Nothing is truly and completely our own. All that we have is to be used as tools to further our own development and the development of others. Through this shared experience we all become instruments of God to promote His love and built up His kingdom here on this earth. Our life is not our life. Our time is not our time. Our things are not our things. Everything is to be used to further the God Experience which we should be seeking at all times. When we are focused in this way we will then be open to receive the love of God completely and in such a way that we could only imagine previously.

In the Gospel reading today the words of the Pharisee in the temple serve as a warning to us all. We are reminded that we have earned nothing from God and that anything that we say or do in reaction to God’s presence cannot set us above anyone else. We are all sharers in the love of God which brought us into existence in the first place. If we place ourselves above anyone else or feel that we are superior in any way we are actually doing exactly the opposite of what God wants. We should focus on humbling ourselves in the presence of God and in the presence of our fellow brother and sisters in all that we say and do. It is when we humble ourselves that the greatness of God is revealed and we are lifted up in His presence. Just as Jesus humbled Himself by becoming a slave to all so must we imitate His example and do the same. This is the key to true joy and true love. It is through becoming the least among our brethren that we become great in the eyes of God. Nothing else should really matter except the knowledge that God loves us for who we are: His children. As a father loves all of His children the same so does our Father love us. Through that love we achieve greatness.

Deacon Tom