Ps 34:2-3,17-18-19, 23
2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18
Lk 18:9-14
Each of the readings and the psalm for today's Mass could be the basis for a fairly long homily. There is an overabundance of riches for preaching, for teaching, and for meditation. As was true of last Sunday's parable of the woman and the unjust judge, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican in the Temple, is found only in Luke's Gospel. Both parables are about prayer. Last week we heard about the need to pray without ceasing. Today are told how to pray and how not to pray. This example is confirmed in the first reading from Sirach.
Sirach is a unique book. Though written in Hebrew before Jesus' birth it was translated into Greek by the author's grandson and known only in Greek until the early twentieth century. Also known as Ecclesiasticus, (not to be confused with Eccesiastes) it is not part of the Hebrew Scripture. Protestants do not recognize it as authoritative. However, Roman Catholics and the Orthodox do hold Sirach as canonical. The non-acceptance of Sirach by the Protestant Church is a pity. Like the rest of the wisdom literature, Sirach is relevant to our lives in the present. It is very much worth reading in its entirety. The reading from Sirach is a commentary on prayer. Both readings depend on stereotypes to make their points. That begs the question, what is a stereotype?
A stereotype is a general statement applied to a group whose members share a particular characteristic or set of characteristics. Stereotypes may be used to judge and classify others negatively or to set some groups apart as unique. Today, it seems that stereotypes are roundly condemned as biased, discriminatory, unfair . . . pick the negative word and fill in the blank. But they are not necessarily so.
The problem with condemning stereotypes--a popular form of virtue signaling today--be they positive or negative stereotypes, is that all stereotypes contain an element of truth. One writer defined stereotypes as statistics in narrative form. All statistics have a degree of truth and a degree of untruth or exceptions when applied to individuals. Unfortunately, all statistics, from those used in medical research to those describing global warming, to those applied to people, can be falsely manipulated in order to push an agenda or prove a point that is not necessarily true.
For example, a common stereotype holds that Asian men have straight black hair and are shorter than the average American man. Statistically this is true. But then, there is this photo from my ordination. I am standing next to one of my closest friends on earth, Ignatius Hung Wan-liu, a Taiwanese Jesuit priest who does, in fact, have straight black hair--he actually has great hair. But, at 6' 3" he is four inches taller--now closer to five--than my statistically average height for an American man. In Ignatius' case, the stereotypes applied to an Asian man are only partially true. Thus, caution is necessary regarding stereotypes or statistics describing just about anything.
What of the stereotypes that emerge from scripture? Were all Pharisees arrogant egotists such as the one in the parable? There is only one answer: No. Were all tax collectors humble and self-aware as the one in the parable? No. No stereotype holds true when applied to every individual. Thus the challenge in both readings.
Poverty, marginalization, and oppression do not automatically confer otherwise unattainable virtue on any individual. Wealth, intelligence, and power are not the invariable marks of a sinner. The poor can be, and are, sinners on the same plane as the wealthiest. And the wealthy can be as seemingly virtuous as the publican of the parable. Sometimes the only difference is the size of the budget. How would we understand this parable if the roles were reversed? Would our feelings for the men change if the Pharisee acknowledged his sinfulness while the tax-collector boasted of his fundamental righteousness? Or, to put it into contemporary terms, suppose it was the tax-collector who had a case of inflated self-esteem while the Pharisee was humble?
In his commentary on this Gospel passage Luke Timothy Johnson warns that, "The parable . . . invites internalization by all readers because it speaks to something deep within every human heart. The love of God can easily become a kind of idolatrous self-love. God's gifts can quickly be seized as possessions; what is given by another can be turned into one's own accomplishment."
Prayer can become bragging. He concludes with: "Piety is not an unambiguous posture.” It is worth remembering this, and perhaps emblazoning it on the lintel of all theology schools.
The monastic literature contains frequent warnings about taking pride in one’s humility or boasting about one's prayer. It is a temptation we all face. Humility and arrogant pride or what is called "virtue signaling" today are separated by a very fine line.
One is frequently advised in scripture courses and preaching practica to compare different translations when possible. This is useful in considering Sirach. The New American Bible translation we just heard reads: “though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.” The Revised Standard Version, the version I prefer for daily use, translates the same line differently: “He will not show partiality in the case of the poor, and he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.” Wronged and oppressed have different shades of meaning.
God's mercy does not depend on one's bank account. God's mercy does not depend on being a member of certain oppressed groups. God's mercy is available to all those who seek it in prayer.
Luke's Gospel is sometimes called the Gospel of Prayer. In Luke, prayer is not simply an exercise of piety, it is faith in action. Prayer reveals who we are. Prayer reveals the nature our relationship with God. Prayer reveals our relationship with others. When we pray, we are to come before the Lord in sincerity and truth. In the Lord's light we are called to admit that we are sinners, sinners who are in need of his mercy.
We heard a consoling truth in the psalm:
"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."
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."
It is worth meditating on that for the rest of the day.
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