In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.
Glory to the Father. Today's Gospel reading is
one that we hear every year at this time on the
Sunday of the publican and of the Pharisee. But
do we really see the message? Do we really hear
what is being said? You know, in verse 9, which
is the verse just before this parable starts,
the author of this gospel, Luke, says these words.
Also, he, meaning Jesus, spoke this parable to
some who trusted in themselves that they were
righteous. and despised others. So we know that
this parable, a parable which is a story, which
is to impart to us some message or truth, a moral,
some truth that Jesus is trying to get to us,
we're already told what that lesson is, even
before we hear it. Luke has told us that he's
telling this parable to the people who trust
in themselves. They don't trust in God as much
as they trust in themselves. And they despise
others. Now, when we think of the word despise,
we think of something that's really strong, right?
You despise them. But along with this is this
idea of judging their actions. So what is this
parable about? It's about us when we think we
are the ones in charge. We trust ourselves. And
we look at everybody else. We often will pick
people to choose. And then we compare ourselves
to them. And we say, I'm really good. That person,
they don't have it together. Whoever it is. So
now... When Jesus is telling us this story, that
to make us see that, he's going to do it by having
two people and having one be a Pharisee. A Pharisee
who is a teacher of the law, who is respected
in the community, who is thought of very highly.
And you can see the irony here because this is
the person doing it wrong. And then there's the
publican. Now, some of you may not know the word
publican really means tax collector. And the
Romans came into the land and took it over and
hired local Jewish people to be the tax collectors
of the land to take money. And they weren't always
honest when they collected the money. Sometimes
they collected a little bit extra for their own
pocket. And so this person, the publican that
Jesus tells us about, is a person that's looked
down on in society, is looked on as a public
sinner. Just by their very profession, they're
a collaborator with the Romans who have invaded
the land, and they're cheating people of their
money. And this is the person that the Lord gives
us as an example of someone doing something right.
So there's irony here at the start. You know,
it tells us, you've heard, never judge a book
by its cover, or perhaps in modern days we could
say, never judge a book by its movie, right?
Because usually the book's better than the movie.
But in any case, it's what's on the inside that
really counts, not what's on the outside. What
the world sees is a Pharisee, supposedly very
respectable, Of course, we have the publican
who is looked down upon, and yet we'll see it's
reversed. The Pharisee prays this. God, I thank
you that I am not like other men, extortioners,
unjust, adulterous, or even as this tax collector.
I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that
I possess. So, at first glance, we might see...
Someone thanking God. That's good. Someone fasting.
We do our best to fast, as the church calls us
to. And tithing. None of these things are bad.
But you can see an attitude, a worldview, this
inner person that's shining out. And what is
he giving thanks for? Well, he's thanking God
that he's not like those other people, those
losers. Is he loving those other people around
him? Not at all. And he's saying, I am not unjust.
I'm not adulterous. I give tithes. Therefore,
I'm going to go to heaven. And he's very confident
in himself. He's not confident necessarily that
God is going to do it. He is the one that's going
to do it. We have to be careful because we can
be like that. We can think we are the ones that
are going to do what's right and make it to heaven
because we do what is right. I did that. I'm
good. Well, be careful. Be careful. Let's look
at the publican. The tax collector says, he doesn't
even speak right away. He would not so much as
raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast,
and then says, God be merciful to me, a sinner.
We see repentance, a person admitting their need
for God. We see, perhaps, where the Jesus prayer
even comes from. Perhaps it was motivated by
these words of this parable. The Jesus prayer,
which I say as Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me, a sinner. And this man is saying,
God be merciful to me, a sinner. He's coming
before God broken, contrite, humbled. This isn't
the example that we are to have. And Jesus sums
up the parable by saying this. I tell you, this
man went down to his house, meaning the publican,
justified rather than the other, the Pharisee.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted. There's
a virtue and there's a vice. There's a virtue
of humility and there's a vice of pride. Each
one of us needs to look at ourselves. I know
I have and I do suffer from some pride. I admit
it to everyone here. And I repent of that. And
I'm trying to learn humility. I'm urging God
to help it move forward. And I encourage all
of you to do the same. Ask God to grant you humility.
The words of scripture say in Matthew, blessed
are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
And in the Psalms, a broken and contrite heart
God will not despise. And in another Psalm, I
was brought low and the Lord helped me. And in
a proverb, everyone that is proud of heart is
an abomination to the Lord. And in another proverb,
God resists the proud. And the prophet Isaiah
says, woe to them that are wise in their own
eyes and prudent in their own sight. And James,
in the book of James, says, humble thyself in
the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up.
You know, our community, we've gone through several
funerals here. We've felt the losses of George
and Karen and Merope, and there's others of us
who have members in our family who have either
just passed away or are close to that. And we
can mourn and weep, but we should also see the
gift that's given to us in the remembrance of
death, that each one of us, we need to recognize.
We're going to be that person who passed away
should the Lord tarry and not return. We will
also face that same result. And we know that
there is an afterlife. We know that there is
life after death, that there is an eternal time.
There is God's love, there's God's mercy, there's
God's grace. There's a plan of salvation for
all humanity, for you and me and every person
that would take it. And the Holy Spirit will
speak to us in our inner man, in our noose, in
our heart. If we open up our inner self, just
as that publican had repentance in his heart.
If we do that, then we open the floodgates to
God working. And purifying and sanctifying and
making us holy and preparing us for that time
when we do pass on. We are swiftly approaching
Lent. And this is a gift to us. Sometimes we
kind of, I know, I'll speak for myself. I think,
oh no, here it is. I'm going to have to do this
or not do that. Or, you know, oh no. It's going
to be so busy. It's going to take so much of
my time. We can come at it with that attitude,
which I have in the past. Or we can say, this
is a gift from God to help us to become sanctified,
to be ready for heaven, to take ourselves and
place them in God's, place all of who we are
in God's hands and let him work to perfect us
and reunite us to him. St. Gregory Palamas says
these words that I believe deal with this virtue
and vice that we're looking at of pride and humility
in today's gospel. St. Gregory says, Let us humble
ourselves of our own free will, brethren, that
we may demonstrate our faith in Christ and also
be exalted by him. Or rather, may we acknowledge
our innate lowliness and the fact that the misleading
thoughts which sometimes arise within us are
from the demons. Then let us cry out to Christ
like the Canaanite woman, fall down before him,
and persevere in humble prayer, and we shall
obtain the grace which is given to the humble
-minded and speedily ascend to divine heights.
Imagine, if you will, two tall buildings with
a tight rope between the two of the buildings
and a long distance across. And there's a tight
rope walker and we're all on top of one of the
buildings watching this tight rope walker. And
he has a wheelbarrow. And he takes it and goes
across from one building and we watch. And he
goes across and across and across and makes it
to the other building. And then he comes back.
And there's no stumbling. Nothing goes wrong.
Everything looks perfect. And he gets back and
he says to all of the crowd there, he says, do
you think I can do it again? And everybody kind
of shakes their head. Yeah, yeah, you could do
it again. He said, okay, I would like a volunteer
to ride in this wheelbarrow. Not too many hands
went up. But if you think about it, there have
been many people who have ridden in the wheelbarrow.
They are saints because they trusted God, not
themselves. They got into the wheelbarrow and
let the Lord Jesus Christ take them across to
being sanctified and made holy and entered into
eternity. In a good way with the Lord. Can't
we do that? Can't we get into that wheelbarrow?
Won't you let yourself do that? And this Lent
is the time. We are entering the Triodion today.
We aren't officially entering Lent. But we are
officially entering the preparation for that
time. So begin to prepare yourself to enter Lent.
And to get into the wheelbarrow. And let Christ
take you across and sanctify you and make you
holy. Glory to Jesus Christ.