HUMBLE OR SELF-RIGHTEOUS?

HUMBLE OR SELF RIGHTEOUS? – 30^th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year C

            Have you ever wondered how the Lord sees you? Would you rather be seen by the Lord as a powerless sinner trusting in God’s mercy, or a proud self-righteous person placing faith in your own power to save yourself by being able to keep the law and do a lot of good works? Jesus’ descriptions of the two men in the temple praying can help us in our description of ourselves before the Lord.

            The powerless sinner had no good works to point to, but a weak and sinful life. It had become clear to him he could not rely on his own power for living his life. The evidence of his sins told him he was in need of mercy and forgiveness. This need leads him to seek out the God of mercy, and a source of strength and salvation beyond his own power. He begins to see the greatness of God and to experience his own worthlessness and inability to save himself. He stands before the Lord as a poor sinner.

            His prayer went beyond himself and reached the Lord. As Psalm 34 proclaims: “The Lord hears the cry of the poor. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and those who are crushed in spirit He saves”. Or as the Book of Sirach teaches: “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest until it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw until the Most High responds, judges justly, and affirms the right”.

            The sinner is right to acknowledge sinfulness and the Lord’s mercy. “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” In light of who we are, the truth of life is that no matter how powerful one is, or what position, or what degree of virtue one may have acquired, or how many good works we may have done, we stand in need of God’s salvation and in a position of dependence and powerlessness. The late faith healer, Katherine Kuhlman, once said: “I am not a woman who has great faith in God; I am a woman with little faith in a great God”.

            The Pharisee praised himself for his goodness and good works, and saw no need for the mercy of God, or the power of God to justify him. He depended on his good works and keeping the law to justify himself. Jesus said the sinner was justified before God. That means he was established in union with the Lord. He relied on and placed faith in God’s salvation. He knew from the evidence of his sins that he couldn’t save himself. He was opened to accepting the salvation provided by the Lord. Jesus said: “Believe me, this man went home from the temple justified, but the other did not”. The Pharisee, relying on his own goodness and not recognizing his need for the Lord and the Lord’s salvation, was not justified.

            Life helps us to become humble. God in His mercy gives everyone something to reveal one’s powerlessness to save one’s self, and to avoid the trap of self-righteousness or self-salvation. We can thank the Lord for our weaknesses and powerlessness that keep us mindful of our need for the Lord. Some only experience their powerlessness in the process of physically dying. Blessed are those, probably most people, who come to know their need through some physical, mental, emotional, moral, spiritual, social, or economic limitation. The Lord is able to work His greatest works through those who are humble or who have been humbled.

            St. Paul was a Pharisee and thought he was justified through the works of the law. He saw himself as self-righteous. With his conversion experience to the Risen Lord, he came to realize that no amount of good works is sufficient to justify or save someone. He also came to realize that his justification and righteousness came from his acceptance in faith of Jesus Christ and His saving death and resurrection that saves the human race. He began to live by the Spirit and the power that flowed from the Lord’s dying and rising.

            When we realize the source of our salvation in Christ, we are moved to live more fully by the law of God, and to carry out the works of the Gospel. We don’t do them to save ourselves, but rather as a response and acceptance in faith, hope and love of the salvation God has provided in Christ. That realization, which the Pharisee lacked, frees us to live for the Lord and other people and not just for ourselves.

Divine Mercy Reflection #1783

“We do not know the number of souls that is ours to save through our prayers and sacrifices; therefore, let us always pray for sinners.”