Readings & Reflections: Saturday of the Third Week of Lent & Blessed John of Parma, March 21,2020

“Let us return to the Lord. He will bind our wounds. We will live in his presence.” This was the heart of the tax collector’s prayer of humility in the Temple. His sin had moved him to a new certainty: it is love that God desires, not empty sacrifices. Our weaknesses are the very occasion for a graced certainty: God loves us not because we are good, but because he is good. The Pharisee believed he had to prove his own worthiness and impress God. Adhering to the clemency of God when discouraged by our sins, we are exalted and sent home justified. This is the “knowledge of God” he desires us to have.

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“Lord, may your love control my thoughts and actions that I may do what is pleasing to you. Show me where I lack charity, mercy, and forgiveness toward my neighbor. And help me to be generous in giving to others what you have so generously given to me.” In the Mighty Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reading 1
Hos 6:1-6

“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”

What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

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 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – Pride and self-righteousness

Our gospel parable speaks to us about how man has the inclination to pride oneself as righteous and his neighbor as inferior. Having heard this teaching time and again from our Lord, brings to us the real need to be mindful of our nature.

Man tends to look on oneself over one’s neighbor. When we do this, we actually remove our focus from God. We shift it from Him to ourselves.  We allow our self-righteousness to blossom and be what the devil hopes we will be. Whatever humility God has started to work in us is lost. What will naturally flow will be our spiritual arrogance which has no place in us and within God’s family.

Going through the parable one will easily notice how the Pharisee focused on the “I “.  Instead of using God as his measure and seeing how defective he was, what he did was to compare himself with the rest of his brothers and sisters. He in short, patted himself at the back as being a lot better than the rest of God’s people.  As a contrast, we have the tax collector who accepted his own unworthiness and humbled himself in front f our Lord.  He did not think of himself as one sinner among the many but looked at himself as the sinner who is not worthy of anything from God.

Today, let us focus on the word “right” rather than “righteousness.”  Most of us would probably say we are not righteous but are there times in our lives in which we feel that we are right.  Our intentions may be good and we see ourselves as being correct.  But is it possible that occasionally our belief about our own rightness actually blocks us from God and others?

As believers, God wants us to wake up to the truth that because of man’s sinful nature we are generally self-righteous. Jesus wants to remind us that it is the spirit of repentance and authentic humility that is acceptable to God when He said: “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

As a way of recall, let us ask ourselves this question: How many times have we, in community and in God’s church, proclaimed to people that such a person is not worthy of any ministry because one is not healed, because one is bitter, broken and sinful? How many times have we said that unless one changes (according to standards personally set by us), such a man will never progress in his relationship with God and in his work for Him and therefore could never guide God’s flock?  Isn’t this very self centered and so self-righteous to say? When we did this, did we go home justified like the tax collector or were we like the Pharisee, exalted by our own PRIDE?

Just like the tax collector who went home justified, let us approach the throne of our Lord and accept our unworthiness and sincerely ask God for forgiveness. Let us look at ourselves and at each other as the same deformed creature that we are because of our sins yet with a lot of goodness inside for each one of us is made up of the goodness of our God.

This season of Lent, let us ask our hearts if there are areas in our lives in which we need to be open to new insights and let go of our need to be right?   Our openness to God’s view or the wisdom of another person can transform us into a world of new insights to encounter experiences of peace and love.

In our prayers let us have true concern for God’s people and lift our neighbor up to the Lord rather than pull them down for our own glory. “Come, let us return to the LORD, it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds. He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence. Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD; as certain as the dawn is his coming, and his judgment shines forth like the light of day! He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.”

Direction

The only way to see one’s sinfulness and brokenness is to be properly focused on the Lord.

Prayer

Heavenly Father even as I pray and preach your Word, I know how sinful I am. I have failed You in a lot of ways and far from the Model You have set for me.  I am quite close to the Pharisees that I seek your mercy on me, O God. In your goodness, in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly was me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.  In the Name of Jesus, I hope, pray and repent. Amen.

Reflection 2 – A humble contrite heart

“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 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Pharisee went to the Temple to pray. But definitely, it was no prayer at all. He was simply boasting to God. And worse, he was already judging and condemning the tax collector.

He has, after all, the reasons to justify such behavior. By all human standards, he was a good man, taking his religious obligations as a Jew and a Pharisee very seriously; he fasts, gives tithes and prays regularly.

On the other hand, the tax collector is despised by the entire Jewish community. His job makes him a traitor to his own people and consistently dishonest in his dealings with them. In short, he is regarded as public enemy number one.
Yet the latter went home justified. His prayer was pleasing to God. The prayer of the former, although he was a good man compared to the publican, did not please God; he went home not justified.

Why was this so? The answer is the heart. The Pharisee followed God’s commandments to the letter. He tried is best to be a good and faithful Jew. But his heart is far from God. Through the prophet Isaiah, God expressed His displeasure towards such people: “This people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are far from me” (Is 29:13).

He went to the Temple, not really to pray, but just to fulfill his obligation of praying regularly. What he uttered before God was not really a prayer but an ‘accomplishment report’ of how good and faithful he has been all these times. His heart, therefore, does not belong to God. He was simply so full of himself that he did not bother to examine himself and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

On the other hand, the tax collector was fully aware of the presence of God in the Temple. Acknowledging the gravity of all his sins and his unworthiness, he could not even go nearer. He just “stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven.”

God is the Eternal Light. He is infinitely brighter than the sun. In His presence, any man cannot manage to look straight into that brightness that penetrates into his innermost being, exposing clearly the filth of his sins. This must have been the experience of the tax collector. Coming into God’s presence, he just bowed his head in utter shame and sorrow, beat his breast and said, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” In the presence of God, that is who we are: sinners. Nothing more. We have absolutely nothing to brag about.

Every time the Mass is celebrated, we come into the presence of God. That is why, it always begins with the Penitential Rite. The priest invites the people to have the same spirit and disposition displayed by the tax collector: “Brethren, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.” Then, we collectively recite the Confiteor to express our humble admission of our sins, and ask God for mercy and pardon.

Only then are we properly disposed for this sacred celebration. Only then can our prayers become truly pleasing to God. “A humble contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps 51:17). – (Source: Fr. Mike Lagrimas, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Amsterdam St., Capitol Park Homes, Matandang Balara, Quezon City 1119).

Reflection 3 – ‘Guilty!’

God, be merciful to me a sinner! –Luke 18:13

The great “prince of preachers” Charles Haddon Spurgeon used to tell the story of a duke who boarded a galley ship and went below to talk with the criminals manning the oars. He asked several of them what their offenses were. Almost every man claimed he was innocent, blaming someone else or accusing the judge of taking a bribe.

One young fellow, however, replied, “Sir, I deserve to be here. I stole some money. No one is at fault but me. I’m guilty.” Upon hearing this, the duke shouted, “You scoundrel, you! What are you doing here with all these honest men? Get out of their company at once!” The duke ordered that this prisoner be released. He was set free, while the rest were left to tug at the oars. The key to this prisoner’s freedom was his admission of guilt.

That’s also true in salvation. Until a person is willing to admit, “I am a sinner in need of salvation,” he cannot experience freedom from guilt and condemnation.

Have you ever said, “I plead guilty”? If not, do so right now. You can never save yourself, so receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior by placing your trust in Him. Then, once you are set free from sin’s guilt and power, you will know the joy of forgiveness and freedom.  —Richard De Haan

Admitting that we’re guilty,
Acknowledging our sin,
Then trusting in Christ’s sacrifice
Will make us clean within. –Sper

Sin brings fear; confession brings freedom (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 4 – Lost And Found

The tax collector . . . beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!. –Luke 18:13

Evangelist D. L. Moody once visited a prison called “The Tombs” to preach to the inmates. After he had finished speaking, Moody talked with a number of men in their cells. He asked each prisoner this question, “What brought you here?” Again and again he received replies like this: “I don’t deserve to be here.” “I was framed.” “I was falsely accused.” “I was not given a fair trial.” Not one inmate would admit he was guilty.

Moody finally found a man with his face buried in his hands, weeping. “What’s wrong, my friend?” he inquired. The prisoner responded, “My sins are more than I can bear.” Relieved to find at least one man who would recognize his guilt and need of forgiveness, the evangelist exclaimed, “Thank God for that!” Moody then joyfully led him to a saving knowledge of Christ—a knowledge that released him from the shackles of his sin.

What an accurate picture of the two contrasting attitudes spoken of in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the publican! (Luke 18:9-14). As long as the sinner claims innocence and denies his sin before the Lord, he cannot receive the blessings of redemption. But when he pleads guilty and cries out, “God, be merciful to me a sinner,” he is forgiven. In order to be found, you must first recognize that you are lost.  — Richard De Haan

Lost in the night, far from the light,
That’s where the Lord found me;
Troubled within, and burdened with sin,
He saved and set me free. —Peterson
(c) 1961 by Singspiration Inc.

To find salvation you must admit you are lost (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 5 – Paradox

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. –Luke 18:14

Luke 18 contains a startling paradox. The man who admitted he was wrong was declared right, while the one who claimed to be right was condemned as wrong (vv.9-14).

Jesus told this parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee to teach the true way of salvation to those “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” (v.9). He wanted them to see that they had a false righteousness like the Pharisee, who thanked God that he was “not like other men” (v.11).

What they needed was the attitude of the tax collector, who saw himself as a sinner. He realized that he had to rely solely on God’s mercy and grace. Jesus said of him, “This man went down to his house justified rather than the other” (v.14).

Perhaps you’ve never considered this seeming paradox–how you as a sinner can be justified through faith. If you are still trying to save yourself, you stand condemned. But as soon as you admit that you are hopelessly lost and you place your trust in Christ, God will forgive you and declare you righteous (Rom. 10:13). It is through faith alone that anyone can be justified in the sight of God (Rom. 3:28; Eph. 2:8-10).

Think about the parable Jesus told. Are you like the Pharisee or the tax collector?  — Richard De Haan

Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come! –Elliott

We are saved by God’s mercy, not by our merit (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 6 – Prayer Circles

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. —Luke 18:14

Around the circle the 6th-grade girls went, taking turns praying for each other in the Bible-study group. “Father in heaven,” Anna prayed, “please help Tonya not to be so boy-crazy.” Tonya added with a giggle, “And help Anna to stop acting so horrible in school and bothering other kids.” Then Talia prayed, “Lord, help Tonya to listen to her mother instead of always talking back.”

Although the requests were real, the girls seemed to enjoy teasing their friends by pointing out their flaws in front of the others instead of caring about their need for God’s help. Their group leader reminded them about the seriousness of talking to almighty God and the importance of evaluating their own hearts.

If we use prayer to point out the faults of others while ignoring our own, we’re like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable. He prayed, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector” (Luke 18:11). Instead, we’re to be like the man who asked God to be merciful to him, “a sinner” (v.13).

Let’s be careful not to let our prayers become a listing of others’ flaws. The kind of prayer God desires flows out of a humble evaluation of our own sinful hearts.  — Anne Cetas

Lord, teach us how to pray aright,
Oh, lead us in Your way;
Humbly we bow in Your pure light;
Lord, teach us how to pray. —Anon.

The highest form of prayer comes from the depths of a humble heart (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 7 – God, be merciful to me a sinner!

How can we know if our prayer is pleasing to God or not? The prophet Hosea, who spoke in God’s name, said: “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). The prayers and sacrifices we make to God mean nothing to him if they do not spring from a heart of love for God and for one’s neighbor. How can we expect God to hear our prayers if we do not approach him with humility and with a contrite heart that seeks mercy and forgiveness? We stand in constant need of God’s grace and help. That is why Scripture tells us that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34).

Jesus reinforced this warning with a vivid story of two people at prayer. Why did the Lord accept one person’s prayer and reject the other’s prayer? Luke gives us a hint: despising one’s neighbor closes the door to God’s heart. Expressing disdain and contempt for others is more than being mean-minded. It springs from the assumption that one is qualified to sit in the seat of judgment and to publicly shame those who do not conform to our standards and religious practices. Jesus’ story caused offense to the religious-minded Pharisees who regarded “tax collectors” as unworthy of God’s grace and favor. How could Jesus put down a “religious person” and raise up a “public sinner”?

Jesus’ parable speaks about the nature of prayer and our relationship with God. It does this by contrasting two very different attitudes towards prayer. The Pharisee, who represented those who take pride in their religious practices, exalted himself at the expense of others. Absorbed with his own sense of self-satisfaction and self-congratulation, his boastful prayer was centered on his good religious practices rather than on God’s goodness, grace, and pardon. Rather than humbling himself before God and asking for God’s mercy and help, this man praised himself while despising those he thought less worthy. The Pharisee tried to justify himself before God and before those he despised; but only God can justify us. The tax collector, who represented those despised by religious-minded people, humbled himself before God and begged for mercy.  His prayer was heard by God because he had true sorrow for his sins. He sought God with humility rather than with pride.

This parable presents both an opportunity and a warning. Pride leads to self-deception and spiritual blindness. True humility helps us to see ourselves as we really are in God’s eyes and it inclines us to seek God’s help and mercy. God dwells with the humble of heart who recognize their own sinfulness and who acknowledge God’s mercy and saving grace. I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah 57:15). God cannot hear us if we boast in ourselves and despise others. Do you humbly seek God’s mercy and do you show mercy to others, especially those you find difficult to love and to forgive?

“Lord Jesus, may your love and truth transform my life – my inner thoughts, intentions, and attitudes, and my outward behavior, speech, and actions. Where I lack charity, kindness, and forbearance, help me to embrace your merciful love and to seek the good of my neighbor, even those who cause me ill-favor or offense. May I always love as you have loved and forgive others as you have forgiven.” -Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2020/mar21.htm

Reflection 8 – True Prayer to God Expands the Heart for Others

The book of Sirach is a collection of observations as poignant today as they were when Sirach’s grandson collected them in Alexandria twenty-one hundred years ago. Today Sirach tells us God knows no favorites. Thus, “he hears the cry of the oppressed,” but is “not unduly partial toward the weak.”

God undoubtedly has a special concern for the economically poor. But there are riches of all sorts. Sirach says “the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds,” and our catechism echoes this when it tells us, “Abandonment to the providence of the Father… frees us from anxiety about tomorrow… and is a preparation for the blessedness of the poor” (CCC:2447). We accomplish very little if we embrace material simplicity but refuse to cultivate an accompanying poverty of spirit.

This is no doubt why the tax collector in the Gospel goes home justified while the Pharisee does not. There is nothing wrong with the Pharisee’s prayer. The commandments condemn adultery, greed and dishonesty, so this man is properly grateful that he avoids these sins. We too should be grateful when we avoid them. The problem is that the Pharisee says “thanks’ to God, but he’s really talking to himself. He goes home unjustified because he has expanded himself to fill his little world until there is no room for anything – or anyone – from outside. There’s a frightening moral lesson here, and the catechism remarks, “According to the Scripture, it is the ‘heart’ that prays. If our heart is far away from God, the words of prayer are in vain” (CCC:2652).

Meanwhile, Sirach tells us, “the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds,” and this is the point of today’s parable. Salvation is altogether God’s gift. So is the ability to pray. “Only when we humbly acknowledge that ‘we do not know how to pray as we ought,’ are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer” (CCC:2559). The tax collector grasps this and says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Our catechism comments specifically on this prayer and teaches that asking for forgiveness is the “prerequisite” for all prayer, because, “A trusting humility brings us back into the light of communion between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and with one another” (CCC:2631).

Humility is the virtue by which we attribute to God all the good that we possess. It saves us from false pride in our achievements – which can, indeed, be splendid – without discouraging our efforts to achieve perfection. After the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, humility is said to be the most important virtue, because it submits all our life to the true order of being.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commends the poor in spirit (Mt 5:3). “The Beatitudes reveal an order of happiness and grace, of beauty and peace” (CCC:2546). Once we grasp this, Jesus’ judgment on the tax collector and the Pharisee makes perfect sense. For when we acknowledge that not only everything we possess but even our very existence and being are gifts freely bestowed upon us, dependence on God brings us fulfillment while the illusion of independence proves to be self-destruction.

This is the first step toward what the Church calls contemplative prayer: “the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more” (CCC:2712). Once again, we are drawn back to the heart. Our heart responds to God’s love with vocal prayer, which can (with practice) lead to meditation. But these are active forms of prayer; we must perform something to do them.

Contemplative prayer is silent and receptive (CCC:2716). It is an intense communion, in which God speaks and “the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus” (CCC:2717), who asks us to “keep watch” with him (Mt 26:40). Our progress in this intimacy is called “mystical” because it opens the vast treasury of God’s life – the “mysteries” of our faith – which we can never penetrate by our own efforts (CCC:2014).

This union may result in the extraordinary charismatic gifts St. Paul lists in his Letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 12), but its greatest reward is our (usually unspectacular) participation in Christ’s death and resurrection. St. Paul reminds us that the greatest of God’s gifts is the gift of love. This is manifest most clearly in contemplative union with the Father, and spills over in our relations with one another and the world (CCC:2718).

The parable in today’s Gospel is unique to Luke, and it is unusual. Most of the parables warn us what will happen when we die; this affirms what happens today. God abandons those who believe they can exalt themselves, and exalts those who abandon themselves, if they abandon themselves to him. (Source: Fr. Reginald Martin, O.P., “Homilies for Sunday Liturgies and Feasts,” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Vol CX, No. 10. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, August/September 2010, pp. 45-47; Suggested Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church #: 25-41-50; 2742-45).

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Reflection 9 – Blessed John of Parma (1209-1289 A.D.) 

The seventh general minister of the Franciscan Order, John was known for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after the death of St. Francis of Assisi.

He was born in Parma, Italy, in 1209. It was when he was a young philosophy professor known for his piety and learning that God called him to bid good-bye to the world he was used to and enter the new world of the Franciscan Order. After his profession John was sent to Paris to complete his theological studies. Ordained to the priesthood, he was appointed to teach theology at Bologna, then Naples and finally Rome.

In 1245, Pope Innocent IV called a general council in the city of Lyons, France. Crescentius, the Franciscan minister general at the time, was ailing and unable to attend. In his place he sent Father John, who made a deep impression on the Church leaders gathered there. Two years later, when the same pope presided at the election of a minister general of the Franciscans, he remembered Father John well and held him up as the man best qualified for the office.

And so, in 1247, John of Parma was elected to be minister general. The surviving disciples of St. Francis rejoiced in his election, expecting a return to the spirit of poverty and humility of the early days of the Order. And they were not disappointed. As general of the Order John traveled on foot, accompanied by one or two companions, to practically all of the Franciscan convents in existence. Sometimes he would arrive and not be recognized, remaining there for a number of days to test the true spirit of the brothers.

The pope called on John to serve as legate to Constantinople, where he was most successful in winning back the schismatic Greeks. Upon his return he asked that someone else take his place to govern the Order. St. Bonaventure, at John’s urging, was chosen to succeed him. John took up a life of prayer in the hermitage at Greccio.

Many years later, John learned that the Greeks, who had been reconciled with the Church for a time, had relapsed into schism. Though 80 years old by then, John received permission from Pope Nicholas IV to return to the East in an effort to restore unity once again. On his way, John fell sick and died.

He was beatified in 1781.

Comment:

In the 13th century, people in their 30s were middle-aged; hardly anyone lived to the ripe old age of 80. John did, but he didn’t ease into retirement. Instead he was on his way to try to heal a schism in the Church when he died. Our society today boasts a lot of folks in their later decades. Like John, many of them lead active lives. But some aren’t so fortunate. Weakness or ill health keeps them confined and lonely—waiting to hear from us.

Read the source:   http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1329

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