Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 150
Reading 1
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
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
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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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,
“The LORD is a God of justice,
who knows no favorites.”
In many ways this is good news to us. In the eyes of this world, put on the scales of importance and prestige, would any of us be anyone’s favorite? Judging by society’s standards, I would say no. Yet, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. Keeping this in mind, we can be comforted with the knowledge that we do indeed have a special place with God. The more broken we are, the more oppressed we are, and the more desperate we become, the more we get God’s attention. He wants all His children to be lifted up and made whole through a relationship with Him. To some, this may come very easily while to others it just might be a little more difficult. God likes a challenge, though, and that is where His infinite love comes in. We are reminded of this in the Parable of the Lost Sheep. The shepherd leaves the 99 to go out and find the one who is lost. Not only that, but he then brings it back by carrying it on his back. The heavy lifting is not done by us but by God.
Those of us who are suffering are more apt to find God because we have nothing left that can get in the way of His love. The allures of this world have no more effect on us. The fascination and lies have been stripped away. There still may be an attraction to that which has wreaked havoc on us, but in those circumstances, we are at least aware of the end result and the darkness that dwells just beyond the pretty lights. What is left is us, a sinner in need of redemption. Where we see hopelessness, God sees an opportunity of healing and love. Bearing our burdens with us, He walks along beside us, turning often to ask, “Are you ready yet? Have you had enough? Can you stop a moment and ask for my help? He is always ready to step in and show us a better way.
Those of us who are parents or have nieces and nephews know where our hearts are drawn to: Who is the one that gets the most attention? Is it the one who is doing good or is it the one who is hurting? When two children are before us, one crying and one not, who is the one that our hearts are immediately drawn to? It is the same way with God. It is not that the other is loved any less, but there is one who needs special care at that very moment, and we are drawn to that. It is the same way with God. The Parable of the Lost Son comes to mind. The elder son complains to his father how a feast is being held for the younger while he, the one who has done everything right, gets nothing in return. The father responds, “My son. You are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice. Because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.” This is what it means by God having no favorites, but He does hear the cry of the oppressed.
What a beautiful prayer said by the tax collector: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” This is one that we all should be reciting repeatedly. Sinning, which we all do, levels the playing field. Realizing that one is a sinner is the first step towards healing and a transformative experience. It is through this realization that the sinner is raised up above those who presume to be righteous. Stepping forward and asking for forgiveness permits The Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ to rain down and bring about perfection. Paul mentions that the crown of glory will be given to all those who long for His appearance. Longing for His appearance can also mean longing for His presence. This becomes fruitful ground for healing and a life forever with Jesus. What a guarantee we have from our God!
The Lord does indeed hear the cry of the poor: poor in spirit, poor in faith, poor in sin, and poor in monetary wealth. The list goes on and on. Whatever we are lacking, God will provide. To do this, we must surrender our will to Him and cry out: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner!”
He will then do the rest.
Deacon Tom
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