Work In Progress

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
24 October 2010


We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: come, let us worship him, alleluia.

First reading Ecclesiasticus 35:15-17,20-22
The Lord is a judge
who is no respecter of personages.
He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man,
he listens to the plea of the injured party.
He does not ignore the orphan’s supplication,
nor the widow’s as she pours out her story.
The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted,
his petitions will carry to the clouds.
The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds,
until it arrives he is inconsolable,
And the Lord will not be slow,
nor will he be dilatory on their behalf.

Psalm: Psalm 33:2-3,17-19,23

Second reading 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18
My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.
The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Luke 18:9-14
Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Reflection
By Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento

I read from somewhere that the minute you say you are humble, you just did the opposite. It is easy for us to exalt how good we are against a criminal. Yet we fail to realize that the Lord sees what is in our heart of hearts. The Lord is wise and just, and this is another truth apart from Him being compassionate and unconditional. We seem to forget that role of our Father, and we only consider Him being a vending machine of all the things we want in life.

As a just Father, He gives us due circumstances in order for us to learn and believe more. This is the essence of the song “In His Time.” Not that we are being punished, but to give us a lesson, more like a negative reinforcement, as teachers would call it. We are given our own individual spiritual educational program by our Lord, patterned according to our personalities, behaviors, and limitations. Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are a work in progress. We cannot be perfect overnight. We have to continually reflect and examine how our spirituality has evolved through tumbles and turns. We should always call on the Holy Spirit to inspire us to be worthy of God’s presence.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for reminding us that You are a fair and wise judge; that the blessings and tribulations that we receive are for our welfare. Help us to trust that when you delay in answering our prayers, You have a deeper purpose. May we not act as spoiled children, but rather humble and obedient to Your most holy will. Amen.

Next on God-speak
Who Am I