{"id":8921,"date":"2019-10-27T04:22:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-27T11:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lubukhati.org\/?p=8921"},"modified":"2019-10-27T04:22:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-27T11:22:05","slug":"external-and-internal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lubukhati.org\/?p=8921","title":{"rendered":"External and Internal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

30th<\/sup> Sunday in Ordinary Time <\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 27, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luke 18:9-14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Jesus\u2019 time, they were several Jewish religious groups\nand one of them is the Pharisees. These are the people who love the Lord and\ndevoutly observe the Law of Moses and the traditions of the elders even in\ntheir daily lives. Thus, Jewish people regard them as righteous because they\nare faithful to the Law, and pious because they pray often. Many Pharisees turn\nto be the caretakers of the local synagogues and zealously teach the Law during\nSabbath days. No wonders, the Jewish people offer the Pharisees the best places\nin the worship places and the parties. The leaders are called the Rabbis or\nteachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, we have tax collectors. This is the profession\nthat most Jews hate at least for two reasons. Firstly, tax collectors tend to\ncorrupt by demanding more than what is due. Secondly, the tax collectors work\nfor the Roman Empire, a gentile and oppressive nation. This makes them both\nsinners and unclean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus presents these two characters in His parable, His\nJewish listeners immediately see that the Pharisee is the good guy and the tax\ncollector is the bad guy. The Temple of Jerusalem consists of several courts,\nfrom the Holy of Holies going out to the court of the Gentiles. The Pharisee as\na devout and clean Israelite will pray at the inner court of the Temple, closer\nto the sanctuary. While the tax collector is standing perhaps at the court of\nthe Gentiles, where the unclean people and sinners are allowed to get closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Jesus once again twists the minds of His listeners.\nThe tax collector comes up as the hero of the story, as God hears his prayers\nand accepts his sincere repentance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before God, we are judged not so much by external appearance\nand social standing, but primarily by internal disposition, by faith. The\nPharisee is full of himself and doing nothing but praying to himself [see verse\n11]. How can a person pray to himself? He boastfully compares himself with\nothers and puts down others. This is not a prayer, but rather a litany of\nself-praise. But, the tax collector in all humility recognizes himself as a\nsinner and asks nothing but God\u2019s mercy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appearances and social standing do not guarantee our\nholiness, and this has a massive implication in our daily lives. We cannot\nsimply judge that a priest who celebrates the mass, who stands on the\nsanctuary, is holier than an ordinary man who prays at last pew of the Church.\nWe cannot judge a woman who visits the adoration chapel and recite the rosary\nevery day is holier than a woman who has no time to visit the Church because\nshe has to work hard to feed her children. We cannot judge that a man who is\nactive in the parish is holier than a man who is inside the jail. In the first\nplace, it is not our duty to judge others\u2019 holiness. If we are busy judging\nothers, we are no different from the Pharisee in the story who even prays to\nhimself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 27, 2019 Luke 18:9-14 In Jesus\u2019 time, they were several Jewish religious groups and one of them is the Pharisees. These are the people who love the Lord and devoutly observe the Law of Moses and the traditions of the elders even in their daily lives. Thus, Jewish people regard them as righteous because they are faithful to the Law, and pious because they pray often. Many Pharisees turn to be the caretakers of…<\/p>\n

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