‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner’

October 21, 2019
Deacon Faiva Po’oi
 
In the first reading, a wise teacher instructs his readers about the justice of God. We hear how God answers the prayers of loyal and humble servants, even though they are sinners. In the second reading, we hear about the confidence with which St. Paul faces his death. He has no need to be afraid. He has kept the faith and now trusts that the Risen Lord will reward him. In the Gospel of the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we listen to Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector who go to the temple to pray.
 
We have all heard the expression: “Too much of a good thing is bad,” and this Gospel surely points to this. The Pharisee is very faithful to pious practices, even doing more than is required of him. Yet, Jesus does not praise him for his pious acts. Instead, Jesus is critical of him and tells his listeners that despite all the Pharisee’s “good deeds,” and external display of piety, he has missed the essence and the heart of prayer. We cannot truthfully pray to God if we judge others harshly and set ourselves apart from those we meet every day. It is only when we turn to God with humility and honesty, that our relationship with ourselves and with those around us can be authentic.
 
In this parable, Jesus contrasts a pious Pharisee and a sinful tax collector. Likely, most of us will choose to identify with the sinful tax collector and his humble prayer. Likely, few, if any of us, will admit to being like the Pharisee. Yet, the reality is that most of us are more like the Pharisee than we want to believe! We are proud of our good deeds and religious practices and often times, put them on a pedestal – to be seen by everyone. We may think that our external conduct will justify us.
 
For example, some of us have homes filled with statues and shrines. We may pray frequently and attend numerous novenas, but seldom perform any charitable works. Some of us may be critical of the spirituality of others and judge others’ prayer practices to be less adequate and proper than our own!
 
Truth be told, probably most of us have something of both the Pharisee and the tax collector in us.
 
This Sunday’s Gospel reading provides you and me with a wonderful opportunity to assess not only our private prayer life, but also our basic relationship with God. All of us want to do good. Unexpectedly, however, it is the sinful tax collector and not the pious Pharisee, who goes home justified.
 
The Pharisee clearly distances himself and puts himself above the rest of humanity. The tax collector, in his acknowledgement that he is a sinner, identifies with humanity. The Pharisee focuses on himself: the tax collector focuses on God. The Pharisee is grateful for his own good actions. The tax collector is simply grateful for the action of God in his life (“be Merciful”).
 
The issue here is not whether one ought to perform pious practices–of course we should! Neither is the real issue here whether those practices serve as a witness to our true selves before God.
 
God’s mercy is not something to which any of us are entitled. It is not “owed” to us. It is not “earned” by us.” In its very essence, it is grace – a gift given by God – in this case, given to the one who asks for it, no matter how sinful or imperfect that person might be.
 
Prayer helps us enter into and maintain an intimate relationship with God. Only fidelity to prayer will bring us the true humility which justifies us – an attitude toward God which acknowledges and begs, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” May the Holy Eucharist help us to be humble and fill our hearts with gratitude for God’s mercy, grace and blessings.
 
Deacon Faiva Po’oi serves at St. Timothy Parish, San Mateo.