30th Sunday in the Ordinary Time
October 23, 2016
Luke 18:9-14
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you…” (Luk 18:11)
Last Sunday, Jesus reminded us to pray without getting weary. But, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that there is something more than perseverance in prayer. It has something to do with the way we pray. Not only quantity of prayer, but also the quality of prayer. Yet, how do we know that we have a quality prayer?
Once I stumbled upon a Facebook post, and it said, “Pray not because you need something, but because you got a lot to thank God for.” True enough, everything I have is God’s gift. I am nothing without Him, and it is fitting to thank Him. In fact, the highest form of worship in the Church is the Eucharist. The word Eucharist simply means thanksgiving. I liked the post right away. However, when I read the parable in today’s Gospel, I realized that even the Pharisee did a thanksgiving prayer. In fact, in original Greek, when the Pharisee thanked God, he used the word ‘eucharisto’, the root word of the Eucharist. On the other hand, the tax collector was justified because he was asking mercy and forgiveness. Does it mean prayer of supplication and begging for mercy is better and more effective than the prayer of thanksgiving and other kinds of prayer?
Yet, if we read closely, there are some interesting details in the Parable. The first is that the Pharisee expressed his self-righteousness, paraded his good works, and felt better from the rest of humanity, especially the tax collector. Meanwhile the tax collector did nothing but humble himself, acknowledging that he was a sinner and in need of God’s mercy. Thus, prayer needs a right disposition. Humility is the foundation of prayer. Indeed, repentant David himself said, “My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart. (Psa 51:17)”
The second detail that we often miss is that the Pharisee was actually praying to himself, not to God (see closely verse 11). True that he mentioned God, but he was talking to himself. He offered prayer to himself not to God. If then prayer is our communication with God, the Pharisee nullified the very meaning of prayer. Perhaps, by mentioning God, he wanted God to be his audience and to listen to the litany of his successes, not really to build a relationship. Certainly, it felt good and edifying, but this was not prayer. What the Pharisee did was not a prayer at all, but a self-praise and self-service.
We may hear the Holy Eucharist every day, recite the Liturgy of the Hours faithfully, and pray the rosary. We may also join the Charismatic prayer meetings or the praise and worship. We may also attend the Latin Traditional Mass, or just simply spend silent prayer or meditation. Yet, from the parable, we may ask ourselves, whether our prayers are a true prayer? Do we pray because we feel great about it? Do we pray because we are proud of our achievements? Do we pray because we are more pious than others? Does our pray make us closer to God or just to ourselves? Is humility the foundation of our prayer? Our prayer should be a quantity and quality prayer. We pray with perseverance and proper disposition. But more than these, our prayer should be a true prayer.
Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP