THIRTIETH SUNDAY

1.         Victor Hugo wrote a book called Les Miserables. It is about the miserable lives of five different people. The central character is a man called Jean Valjean, who has spent 19 years in prison. He comes out and with great hardship and honesty reaches the top position of Mayor of a City. But all through the book he is faced with the question: "Who am I" - a good man, the Mayor or a common criminal with a number 24601 tattooed on his chest.

2.         As we see the two men in the Gospel today, the Pharisee and the Publican. Who are they? The Pharisee is a respectable person in society. He is expected to be a saint. The Publican is considered to be with the winos and drunks. He is usually held to be a sinner. But are they really saint and sinner? Actually they are both good persons, like most if not all of us in the Church. A saint or sinner, depends on how each of us answers the question "Who am I?"

3.         If we take a look at the Pharisee, he is a man who goes beyond what duty calls him to do. He is expected to keep the Sabbath, fast once a week, give a certain amount as temple dues. He goes beyond that. He fasts twice a week, he gives a tenth of his income, that is what tithing means.

That summary pretty well gives a picture of each of us. We are law abiding. We attend church. We say our prayers. We give to charity. We would never think of beating up an old person and taking their money away. We would never kick a dog or be cruel to a cat. We would be ashamed to even think of stealing something from the store.

3a        But then why should we not be such persons. We have come from comfortable homes. Most of us have had a decent family life, we do not suffer abject poverty as we see in pictures on TV of Sudan or Ethiopia for instance. We not only have food - but we have so many choices.

And so the little interlude that we read between God and Satan in the book of Job chapter 2, is very fitting: the Lord tells Satan how Job is a good and faithful man.

            the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause."

             Then Satan answered the LORD, "Put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and Job will curse thee to thy face."

3b        Isn't our situation just like Job perhaps. It is easy to be good because we really live a good and comfortable life here in Canada. Most people do not steal, or cheat. They are not abusive, but kind. They are generous to the needy. They congratulate one another on success. They appreciate the hard work and effort of others. Don't we say that about confession? I haven't been to confession for a long time. I really do not do anything wrong. I do not commit adultery, I might have a few bad thoughts, and look at some TV shows which I shouldn't. But by and large I have nothing to confess. And they are probably right about the good things they do.

3c        And then sometimes we have hard times like Job when he lost all his riches. Yesterday someone was complaining to me, "I hate God. I do not know where I stand. Sometimes God takes me way up high, I am full of joy and peace and goodwill to all. The next moment I do not know where I am. I am rude, unkind, unforgiving. I wish I could be either like the Pharisee in the front, or the Publican at the back, - but I am neither front or back, I am more like a squash ball bouncing across all four walls."

4.         And Jesus said that it was the Publican that went home a justified man. The difference between the Pharisee and Publican was that they both answered Jean Valjean's question: Who am I ?

The Pharisee said that he was a good man. But he achieved it all. It was through his efforts, his prayers, his fasting, his giving the temple money that he got his act together and he was justified.

The Publican meanwhile - realises that if he is ever to get his act together, it will only be with the Help of God. And that is the bottom line in Christianity.

4a        This is in keeping with much of the theology in the Gospel of Luke. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, we see a Father with boundless love. Both the younger and the elder son do not seem to grasp the situation. The younger cannot loose his Father's love with his wanton living. The elder cannot gain his Father's love by keeping the commandments. The Love is always there - regardless of what they do - good or bad.

5.         In our Church Community, we are all like the Pharisee and Publican. We all have something good within us, whether we can see it like the Pharisee, or do not acknowledge it like the Publican. But we are all limited as persons and hence can always break our relationship with God. We can always turn away and sin. We are therefore weak and in need of God's protection, poor and in need of God's riches. In the words of Augustine, but for the Grace of God, I am a sinner.  The pride of the Pharisee about his own good, and putting down the Publican was totally out of place.  It is no wonder that Jesus said, those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

And therefore Mary, who praises the good things in herself as the Pharisee did, took the correct turn as she said, "the Almighty has done great things to me, Holy is God's name."