30th Sunday in Ordinary Time(Cycle C, YearI)

Community Word: Jesus Christ inspires us to have unwavering faith.

Theme: We have unwavering faith when we humbly acknowledge our sinfulness and depend on God’s mercy.

Promise: “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.”(Ps 34: 19)

Reflection:
There are 3 lessons to learn from the readings today. First, Sirach 35:11 summarizes the message of the 1st Reading, “But offer no bribes, these He does not accept! Trust not in sacrifice of the fruits of extortion.” These words exhort us not to try to bribe the Lord, because He cannot be bribed. Rather, God hears and blesses those who obey and serve Him willingly and unconditionally. The second lesson is found in the 2nd Reading, where St. Paul questions if we are really running the race that has been set before us or merely making half-hearted attempts to serve the Lord. And the third lesson, found in the Gospel, teaches us to always check the motivations of our heart in everything we do and say.

Let us now try to analyze the two characters portrayed in the Gospel, that we may better understand and appreciate what God wants of us, and learn how to conduct and correct ourselves to gain eternal blessings.

The Pharisee in the gospel – how do you perceive him to be? Is he not, in fact, a good, honest and upright person (Lk 18:11-12)? He has kept the laws of God, avoiding all sins (greed, dishonesty, adulterous relationships). He even fasted twice a week and tithed from his “whole income,” more than what was expected of him. The Tax Collector – can one conclude him to be a bad person? He may not have stolen from the rich, but he did oppress and exploit the poor by forcing them to pay exorbitant taxes. We are taught that in order for us to be forgiven of our sins, we are to practice the 5 “R’s” – Recognition, Repentance, Remorse, Reparation and Restitution. The Tax Collector was just at the “recognition” stage, he had 4 more steps to go. In ancient times, the rule was to “return all he had stolen, plus 20% more in interest. Did he do it?

Why then, did Jesus make a comparison between the two? We could surmise that Jesus wanted us to look deeper into our own hearts and examine our “motivation” in serving Him! The Pharisee, for all his righteousness, failed in the one virtue that distinguishes a genuine follower of Jesus – humility. As mentioned in Luke 18:14b… “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

We are then reminded to be prudent in all our actions, as well as our speech. Jesus deserves all the glory and praise, for without Him, we are nothing. Let that fact sink into our hearts, for as long as we remain proud and arrogant, unmindful of the feelings of others, or when greed overwhelms us and the love of worldly things and material wealth become our driving force, we surely are headed for hell and eternal damnation. Jesus himself is the embodiment of perfect humility. Though He is God, He became man like us, and did not presume upon His Sonship during His lifetime on earth. He took our sins and bore them on the cross, suffered and shed blood to save us. He gave his very life to give us life. He also gave us free will, does not coerce or impose His will on us, but allows us to freely make a choice. We owe everything to him. That is how gentle a lover Jesus is – pure and simple. As His disciples, let us follow His example, and give back all the glory to God for all that He has done for us and all the accomplishments and successes with which we have been blessed.

Prayer:
Lord, with a humble heart, I come before you today to offer my successes and challenges, knowing full well that Your Holy Spirit is a part of me, accomplishing the good work you have started in me. Amen!

Reflection Guide Questions:
1. In my present situation, how and to whom do I attribute my achievements?

2. Do I bring the heart and character of Jesus Christ with me to my home among members of my family, to my ministry service in community, and to the work place?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
October 27, 2019 (Sun) – Sir 35:12-14, 16-18/Ps 34:2, 3, 17, 18, 19, 23/2Tm 4:6-8, 16-18/Lk 18:9-14
October 28, 2019 (Mon) – Eph 2:19-22/Ps 19:2, 3, 4-5/Lk 6:12-16
October 29, 2019 (Tue) – Rom 8:18-25/Ps 126:1-6/Lk 13:18-21
October 30, 2019 (Wed) – Rom 8:26-30/Ps 13:4, 5, 6/Lk 13:22-30
October 31, 2019 (Thu) – Rom 8:31-39/Ps 109:21, 22, 26, 27, 30, 31/Lk 13:31-35
November 1, 2019 (Fri) – Rv 7:2-4, 9-14/Ps 24:1-6/1Jn 3:1-3/Mt 5:1-12
November 2, 2019 (Sat) – 2Mc 12:43-46/Ps 103/Rom 9:31-35, 37-39/Jn 14:1-6

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”