More important than that event, which just encompasses
all the vanity of the world, but of course we're
all drawn to it like a moth to a flame, more
important is the Sunday of the publican, the
tax collector, and the Pharisee. To those who
see me, maybe not to those who know me so well,
I'm the Pharisee. Looking good, dressed wonderfully,
religious, saying the right things. But brothers
and sisters, I want to be like that tax collector
that had an encounter with the living God and
saw himself in the light of God's love. He was
illumined, and he could say what he needed to
say rather than boast. Let me start with these
words. From Father Alexander Schmemann. On this
day in which we're now not ending a football
season, but we're beginning the season of trying
to enter into the mystery of our salvation, which
is the resurrection, so that we can proclaim
on that glorious evening, that night, that morning,
just before the sun comes up, that Christ is
risen, that our souls are illumined and bright,
and in them is the living, resurrected, glorified
Savior that we've been waiting for and that we
glorify, that changes us, that transforms us.
That's the road we're starting now. That's what
this Sunday is all about, the beginning of that
path. Yes, the path is narrow, but that's just
because we don't want to fall off of it. We want
to follow the light. Here's what Father Alexander
Schmemann says. It is almost impossible to put
a cross to the modern man fed on publicity, self
-affirmation, and endless self -praise that all
that which is genuinely perfect, beautiful, and
good is at the same time naturally humble. For
precisely because of its perfection, it does
not need publicity, external glory, or showing
off of any kind. God is humble because he is
perfect. His humility is his glory and the source
of all true beauty, perfection, and goodness,
and everyone who approaches God and knows him
immediately partakes of the divine humility and
is beautified. This is true of Mary, the mother
of Christ, whose humility made her the joy of
all creation and the greatest revelation of beauty
on earth, true of all the saints and true of
every human being during the rare moments of
his or her contact with God. Humility. St. Mark
the Ascetic, a Desert Father, said this. He said,
he who is humble in his thoughts and engaged
in spiritual work, when he or she reads the Holy
Scriptures, will apply everything to himself
and not to his neighbor. Yes. I know all about
that, right? Hearing this story about the Pharisees'
pride, does it not occur to you to wish that
a certain person was here today to hear about
it? That's the perfect example. No, rather, as
St. Isaac the Syrian wrote, always consider yourself
as needing instruction so that you may be found
wise throughout your life. There's plenty of
easy targets. Put the light on yourself. This
Sunday of the publican and the Pharisee, by the
way, the word publican in our English translation
comes from the Latin meaning public contractor,
who would collect taxes for the Romans. You know
all that. You get this every year. None of that's
new. St. Luke, what I want to remind you about,
writes that our Lord told a parable, this parable,
while teaching about prayer. Lesson number one
as we enter in to the doors of repentance, which
are humility, prayer. And he told this parable
to those who trust in themselves. That's us.
That's all of us. Trust in themselves, but especially
those... who feel they are righteous, and those
who look down upon others, despising them. That's
who this parable is addressed to. And so it's
so colorfully and beautifully illustrated by
the Savior when he describes the Pharisee at
prayer. This man who is a zealot, who loves the
law and the whole Old Testament. And the love
of God. And he's doing what he ought to do. Prayer.
Fasting. Almsgiving. These are all things that
we're enjoying, commanded to do by the church
during Lent. And he does them well. He cannot
be faulted. But he tells the Most High God how...
Great he is because of his fasting and doing
works of mercy and studying the scriptures and
praying, which means his whole life rests upon
a very rickety structure, which is going to come
crashing down because he misses the most important
piece. It's not about him. He looks down on the
man at the back of the temple. We could do that
today. Any one of us could have that feeling
of superiority. Sirach says, in the wisdom of
Sirach, he asks this question. Listen carefully.
How can he who is made of earth and ashes be
arrogant? Because even while living, his insides
are decaying. Just as the Pharisee would be shocked,
would be shocked as we would be if somebody told
him he was arrogant, uppity, prideful. So too,
we don't see in ourself the same thing. And we
would probably be shocked and be humbled in the
bad way. Until we come to understand and experience
our mortality, and more important, the experience
of how gracious our Savior is, how humble he
is to restore us back from any sin. On the other
hand, I think the publican would probably agree
with the Pharisee's assessment and bowed his
head even further. I guess we could say that
today is about self -justification or divine
justification. I'm okay, but you're not okay.
Or the more realistic thing, God be merciful
to me, a sinner. St. Maximus points out that
pride, the opposite of humility, and the predominant
sin of mankind. consists of two forms of ignorance.
Now think about this. The first is the ignorance
of divine power. The second is ignorance of human
weakness. The humble one has faith in divine
power and recognizes his weakness and loves God.
So we want divine justification, and it will
come as a result of our experience with the Most
High God. Now one might be confused. We hear
this story, and it ends with the words, for everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted. You may think,
ah, yes. This is the Sunday. in which we are
supposed to feel bad about ourselves because
we are so prideful. That's not it. Sunday school
kids may say, if I would ask them about this
parable, well, the Pharisee thought he was good,
but he was actually bad. The publican thought
he was bad, but he's actually good. No, Jesus
doesn't tell such superficial stories. He challenges
us. This is not the Sunday in which we are supposed
to feel bad about ourselves. This is the Sunday
in which we are supposed to consider humility
and how it gives wings to prayer. The answer
about humility, Father Alexander Schmemann says
in his book, Great Lent, how does one become
humble? He says the answer for a Christian is
simple. By contemplating Christ, the divine humility
incarnate, the one in whom God has revealed once
and for all his glory as humility, and his humility
as glory. Today, Christ said on the night of
his ultimate self -humiliation, the Son of Man
is glorified, and God is glorified in him. That's
why the cross has that inscription at the top.
Not Jesus, the Son, king of the Jews, but king
of glory. Humility is learned by contemplating
Christ who said, learn from me, for I am meek
and humble in heart. It is learned, finally,
by measuring everything by him, by referring
everything to him, for without Christ, true humility
is impossible. You can dress up and look the
part. but inside be decayed. For without Christ,
true humility is impossible, while with the Pharisee,
even religion becomes pride in human achievements
and a sickness, a form of Pharisaical self -glorification.
The very first lesson we are to learn on this
path of entering into the mystery of our salvation,
the resurrection, And Great Lent isn't complicated.
Try this exercise today, if you would, with me,
to measure yourself in the light of Christ. Try
this as you approach the chalice today in order
to receive the Holy Eucharist. Each one of us
makes the same confession. We share collectively
in the same preparatory prayer, I believe, O
Lord. and I confess that thou art truly the Christ,
the Son of the living God, who came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am first. Don't
compare yourself with somebody else. Confess
your sinfulness before God. You can compare yourself
to the villains of history quite easily. Place
yourself differently on the scale of who are
sinners. We come off looking as good, decent
human beings. That does not mean that we are
less in need of the saving grace of the gospel.
Do I need less grace than the great sinners of
history and contemporary life? Because I'm comparatively
not as bad? That God sends contrition when we
are honest. He sends not guilt, but contrition.
He sends us assurance of his love and his providence,
not despair at our own helplessness. And he sends
us, if we are truly contrite, tears which wash
away those sins. Tears which bring joy of heart
to know that God loves us. unconditionally, as
I said last week. And then we come boldly to
the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in need, in time of need.
To our Lord be glory now and ever, to ages of
ages. Amen.