SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Homily for the 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 18:9-14 (Gospel), Sir 35:12-14,16-18 (1^st Reading) and 2 Tim 4:6-8,16-18 (2^nd Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

“The tax collector went home justified (Lk 18:14)

The Gospel reading for this 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time is taken from Lk 18:9-14 under the title “The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector”

Verse 9 says: He spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 16:15 - He said to them, “You are the very ones who pass yourselves off as virtuous in people’s sight, but God knows your hearts. For what is thought highly of by men is an loathsome in the sight of God.

2.       Pr 12:2 - A man’s conduct may strike him as upright, Yahweh however weighs hearts.

3.       Pr 28:13 - He who conceals his faults will not prosper, he who confesses^d and renounces them will find mercy. Footnote ^d  says “Allusion to the confession of sins, cf. Lv 5:5; Nb 5:7; Ps 32:5; Ho 14:2-4; Is 1:16-18.”

4.       Mt 6:1 - “Be careful not to parade your good deeds^a  before men to attract their notice; being doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. Footnote ^a  says “Lit. ‘performs your righteousness’ (var. ‘perform almsgiving’), i.e. perform good works which makes a man righteous in the sight of God. For the Jews these works were principally: almsgiving (vv. 2-4), prayer (vv. 5-6), fasting (vv. 16-18).”

5.       Mt 21:31 - Which of the two did the father’s will?” “The first” they said. Jesus said to them, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.

6.       Mt 23:28 - In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

7.       Rm 2:20…if you can teach the ignorant and instruct the unlearned, because your law embodies all knowledge and truth

Verse 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 says: “Two people went up to the Temple to pray; one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and said this prayer to himself, ‘I thank you  God that I am not  grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week,  I pay tithes on all I get.’ The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring to raise his eyes to heaven; but  he beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’

This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.

Parallel texts for verse 14 are:

1.       Mt 23:12 - Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.

2.       Lk 14:11 - For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

The First Reading is from Sir 35:12-14, 16-18.

Verse 12 says: Since the Lord is judge^d who is no respecter of personages. Footnote ^d  says ‘a judge’; Hebr. ‘a God of justice’.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Dt 10:17 - For Yahweh your God I God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, triumphant and terrible, never partial, never to be bribed.

2.       Jb 34:19 - Who shows no partiality to princes and makes no distinction between the rich and the poor, all alike being made by his own hands?

3.       Ws 6:7 - For the Lord of all does not cover before a personage, he does not stand in awe of greatness, himself has made small and great and provide for all alike.

Verse13 says: He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man, he listens to the plea of the injured party.

Footnote

Parallel text is Pr 24:23 that says: …to show partiality in judgment is not good^f Footnote ^f  says “The law forbids the judge to be a respecter of persons, Lv 19:15; Dt 1:17. The prophets similarly insist, though in different terms, on this same duty, Am 2:6; 5:7,10; 1 S 10:2; Mt 3:9,11; Jr 5:28; Ezk 22:12. The messiah will judge impartially, Is 11:3-5; Jr 23:5-6; Ps 72:4,12,14, like God himself, cf. Ga 2:6.”

Verse 14 says: He does not ignore the orphan’s supplication, nor the widow’s as she pours out her story.

Parallel text is Ex 22:21-23 that says: You shall not wrong any widow or orphan(v. 21). If you will be harsh with them, they will surely cry out to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry (v. 22) My anger will flare, and I will kill you with the sword,  your own wives will be widows, your own children orphans(v. 23).

Verse 16 says: The man who with his whole heart serves God^e his petitions will carry to the clouds. Footnote ^e  says  “Or ‘who does a service (for his neighbor).”

Parallel text is Pr 23:10-11 that says: Do not displace the ancient landmark, or encroach  an orphan’s lands; (v. 10), for he who avenges them is strong; and will take up their cause against you^d (v. 11). Footnote ^d  says “The avenger, cf. Nb 35:19+, is Yahweh.”

Verse 17 and 18 says: The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds^f until it arrives he is inconsolable.^g

Nor will he desist until the Most High takes notice of him, acquits the virtuous and delivers judgment.

Footnote ^f  says “Where God dwells, cf. Ps 68:34; 104:3, etc.”; and Footnote ^g  says “Lit. (he is not consoled’; Hebr. ; it does not pause’.”

Parallel text is Jb 16:18  that says: Cover not my blood, O earth^h afford my cry no place to rest. Footnote  ^h  says “Blood, if not covered with earth, cries to heaven for vengeance, Gn 4:10; 37:26; Is 26:21; Ezk 24:8. Job, mortally wounded (v. 12f), wishes to leave behind a lasting appeal for vindication: on earth, his blood; with God, the sound of his prayers. This last, personified, cf. Ps 79:11; 88:2; 102:1; Lm 3:44, will be his witness and advocate with God. In 19:25f, Job’s champion is God himself.”

The Second Reading is from 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18.

Verse 6 says: As for me, my life is already being poured away like a libation^a, and the time of my departure is at hand. Footnote ^a  says “Libations of wine, water or oil were poured over the victims not only in pagan sacrifices but also in Jewish ones, cf. Ex 29:40; Nb 28:7.”

Parallel text is Ph 2:17 that says:  And then, if my blood has to be shed as part of your own  sacrifice and offering – which is your faith^r,  I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. Footnote ^r  says “Libations were common to both Greek and Jewish sacrifices: Paul merely applies this custom metaphorically to the spiritual worship of the new creation, cf. 3:3; 4:18; Rm 1:9+”.

Verse 7 says: I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith…

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 20:24 - But life to me is not a thing to waste words on,^o provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me – and that was  to bear witness to the Good News of God’s grace. Footnote ^o  says “Cf 15:26; 21:13; 1 Th 2:8; Ph 1:21-23. Others translate ‘But I do not count my life of any value, as if it were precious to me’.”

2.       1 Co 9:24 - All the runners at the stadium are trying to win the race, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning,  to win.

3.       1 Tm 1:18 - Timothy, my son, these are the instructions I am giving you: I ask you to remember the words once spoken over you by the prophets,^k and taking them to heart to fight like a good soldier. Footnote ^k  says “Here and in 4:14 Paul reminds Timothy of the part played by the ‘prophets’ when the college of elders laid their hands on his head, Ac 13:1-3; 11:27+.”

4.       1 Tm 6:12 - Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth^d in front of many witnesses. Footnote ^d says “When had Timothy ‘spoken up for the truth’? Perhaps at his baptism, or possibly when he was consecrated to the ministry.”

Verse 8 says: All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day, and not only to me, but to all those  who have longed for his Appearing.

Parallel texts are:

1.       2 Tm 2:4-5 - In the army, no soldier gets himself mixed up in civilian life because he must be at the disposal of the men who recruited him (v. 4) Or take an athlete – he cannot win any crown unless he has kept all the rules of the contest… (v. 5).

2.       1 Co 9:25 - All the fighters at the games go into strict training; they do this just to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither.

3.       1 Tm 6:14…of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing^f of our Lord Jesus Christ, Footnote ^f  says “The word ‘epiphany’ (‘appearing’), used in 2 Th 2:8 with reference to the Great Rebel) is adopted in the Pastoral Letters in preference to ‘parousia’ (‘coming’, 1 Co 15:23+), or ‘apocalypse’ (‘revealing’, 1 Co 1:7+), as the technical term here; 2 Tm 4:1,8; Tt 2:13; Heb 9:28, both for the manifestation of Christ in his eschatological triumph, and also, 2 Tim 1:10; cf. Tt 2:11; 3:4, for his manifestation in the results of his action as savior. “

Verses 16 and 17 say: The first time that I had to present my defense,^e there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me - may they be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message may be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. Footnote ^e  says “at some recent hearing of his case”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 10:19 - But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say. what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes.

2.       Ph 1:19 - I shall continue being happy, because I know this will help to save me, thanks to your prayers and to the help which will be given to me the Spirit of Jesus.

3.       Col 4:3f  - Pray for us especially asking God to show us opportunities for announcing the message  and proclaiming the mystery of Christ,^a for the sake of which I am in chains. Footnote ^a  says “Var. ‘of God’, cf. 2:2.”

4.       Ps 22:21…save me from the lion’s mouth, my poor soulⁱ from the wild bull’s horns. Footnote ⁱ  says ‘my poor (soul)’ conj. Following versions; ‘you have answered me’ Hebr.”

5.       Dn 6:17 - The king then ordered Daniel to be fetched and thrown into the lion pit. The king said to Daniel, “Your God himself, whom you have served so faithfully, will have to save you himself.

Verse 18 says: The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me and bring me safely to^f his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. Footnote ^f  says “Of ‘and keep me safe for’“

Parallel text is Rm 16:27 that says:  He alone is wisdom.^m Give glory therefore to him through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.ⁿ Footnote ^m  says “Cf 11:33-36; 1 Co 1:24; 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:3; 10:7; 17:5,7”; and Footnote ⁿ  says “CF Ga 1:5; Ep 3:21; Ph 4:20; 1 Tm 1:17; 6:16; 2 Tm 4:18; Heb 13:21; 1 P 4:11; 2 P 3:18; Jude 25; Rv 1:6.”