Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Our readings for this Sunday’s Solemnity (November 20th) reveal a jarring contrast. In our second reading, Jesus is affirmed as the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Christ is the Creator, through whom all things in creation came to be. Both “the visible and the invisible” including all “thrones or dominions or principalities or powers” (Col. 1:16). He is truly Lord, and King of the Universe. Christ is “before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17). Jesus Christ is completely preeminent, and Lord of all.

Yet in our Gospel, instead of the authorities recognizing him as King and Lord, Jesus is tortured and abused. In fact, they mock him with the title, “King of the Jews.” We would expect to see a king revealed in royal dignity and seated upon a throne with a royal scepter.

Christ’s crucifixion reveals a profound mystery. The cross has become his throne. His enthronement is his death upon the cross. In ancient Israel, upon his enthronement, they anointed their king with oil and called him the Lord’s ‘anointed one’ or Messiah. The Greek equivalent was the 'Christ.'

The psalmists later understood the messiah as the son of God (Psalm 2:7; Ps 89:27). During this earthly ministry Jesus revealed a deeper meaning for this title by equating himself as ‘the son of man’ in Daniel who is ‘coming on the clouds of heaven’ and who has been given dominion, glory and kingship over all peoples (Daniel 7:13).

Although Jesus is tortured, crucified as criminal, and dies upon the cross, in the mystery of God’s plan of redemption, this very act becomes his enthronement as King. Jesus then conquers death, rises from the dead, and ascends to the right hand of the Father in heaven where he now reigns for all of eternity as King of the Universe.

Christ reveals all of the essential truths of the faith in his enthronement upon the cross. Yet, what does this mean to each of us personally?

When Pope Pius XI instituted this Solemnity in 1925, he was concerned that some Catholics were misunderstanding Christ's reign and rule in their lives. Some people were compartmentalizing their lives into sacred and secular parts and were excluding Christ from their private lives. Pope Pius XI was encouraging us to live our faith authentically not just at Mass or in our devotions, but also in our private, public and political lives.

Living a Unity of Life

We call this act of allowing Christ to be Lord of every part of our life, living a unity of life. Since the act of faith involves the full submission of our intellect and will to God, the unity of life is essential to our faith.

As Pope Pius XI notes, “not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire.” Christ must reign in our minds, in our wills, in our hearts, and in our bodies “as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls.”

Just as Christ was treated in our Gospel, Pope Pius XI says that Christ, “has been cast out of public life, despised, neglected and ignored” (QP, 32). This problem is still highly relevant today. For many people, faith has become a purely personal and private matter.

Some forty years later, the fathers of the Second Vatican Council characterized the “breach between faith and daily life” as “one of the more serious errors of our time” (GS 43). “Let there be no false opposition,” they admonish us “between professional and social activity and the life of religion. The Christian who neglects his temporal duties neglects God and risks his eternal salvation” (GS 43). This is a very solemn warning. While God’s abundant grace and mercy are available to all, our cooperation is necessary.

Practicing a unity of life means that we must allow Christ to be lord of every aspect of our life, including even our daily life and our professional life. The Council urged the faithful to follow the example of Christ who engaged in the secular work of carpentry in order to “fuse all human effort, domestic, professional, scientific and technical in a vital synthesis with religious values, which coordinate everything in the highest way to God’s glory” (GS 43).

Through the lordship of Christ as King, we can transform our daily lives into occasions where we experience God’s grace through our daily work. We can follow Jesus and allow our daily work to be seen “as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls.” In fact, as Christians we should say, “Thank God it’s Monday.”

Two Dangers: Between Scylla and Charybdis

While the graces of our sacramental life initially create and then inspire our faith, St. John Paul II has noted two dangers in our understanding of the sacraments. On the one hand the “sacramental life is impoverished and very soon turns into hollow ritualism if it is not based on serious knowledge of the meaning of the sacraments” and on the other, “catechesis becomes intellectualized if it fails to come alive in the sacramental practice” (Catechesi Tradendae, 23).

As the fathers of the Council reminded us, “The Sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church. Before men can come to the liturgy, they must be called to faith and conversion” (AG 9) [cf. CCC 1072]. This is what it means for our sacramental life to “come alive.” Evangelization needs to precede catechesis. Then catechesis must continually bear witness by the Spirit to living faith.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses our cooperation with grace through an act of submission to the lordship of Christ called Interior repentance,

Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart…it entails the desire and resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and trust in the help of his grace (CCC 1431).

Similarly, our own bishops have noted conversion is, “the acceptance of a personal relationship with Christ, a sincere adherence to him, and a willingness to conform one's life to his. (National Directory of Catechesis, p. 48).

Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, with renewed vigor, I offer you my heart this day. May your Spirit bring my heart to life daily in union with you. Help me to continue to journey deeper in conformity to your will, walking always in your grace every day, in every little way.

The Vulnerability of Christ

I want to begin by recalling the familiar parable of the Prodigal Son. The last-born son is a rebellious child who insolently asks for his father’s inheritance while his father is still alive. He leaves town and squanders this money recklessly on wild living. If the father agreed to the son’s request, he would afterwards literally disown his son (Luke 15:19).

Later after squandering his inheritance, the younger son “comes to his senses” saying,

“I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers’”
(Luke 15:18-19).

What is the difference between Guilt and Shame?

If you are like me, shame is not a word in your vocabulary. You will talk about guilt, but not shame. So what is the difference between them?

Shame arises from the sense that something is fundamentally wrong with us. When we have shame, we often feel inadequate and full of self-doubt. Although we may feel shame about our conduct, the focus is not on our actions but a feeling of failure about who and what we are.

Guilt, on the other hand, is about our perception that we have transgress some norm. We realize that we have done something we regret. It is not about who we are but what we did or did not do. This can be positive because it leads to regret.

Regret is a sense of loss that arises from following poor choices. Usually, regret has a positive effect --helping us to learn from our mistakes.

When we add the dimension of faith, something more happens. One of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to shine light into our souls so that we become more aware of our shortcomings (John 16:8). This leads to healing and growth.

By means of our conscience, the Holy Spirit sharpens our awareness of the things we should do or could do in order to reach happiness. The Holy Spirit also renews our vision of our eternal future as a child of God. As St. Paul reminds us,

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Romans 8:15–17).

Before I outline some steps for healing from shame, I want to acknowledge that if shame has led someone to serious depression or addiction, then the steps I am outlining are likely not enough to deal with this alone. You many need actually need the help of a counselor or a support group.

 

What are the Steps to Heal Us of Shame?

Step 1: Gaining Humility as Self-knowledge

The first step to our healing is to grow in humility. St. Teresa of Avila views humility as a type of self-knowledge. Unfortunately, since the pain of shame is often highly unpleasant, we suppress it. In our time alone with God in prayer, we may need the help of the Holy Spirit to bring it to the surface. We may also need the help of another skilled listener or friend to help us see inside our heart. Like the prodigal son, we need to “come to our senses” and recognize our weakness. Shame likes to hide in the darkness we must allow God to shine his light in our heart and reveal it to us.

 

Step 2: Vulnerability

Once we become aware of our pain, on a purely human level the antidote to our pain is vulnerability. This is extremely counter intuitive. Vulnerability is a kind of courage. It is the willingness to face uncertainty, to take a risk, and experience emotional exposure.

So what does this look like? Perhaps some examples would help. I personally have difficulty hearing. This could led me to feel inadequate and hampered many situations. I often joke that I am incapable of conspiracy because I cannot hear someone who attempts to whisper to me. To be vulnerable with people, I can acknowledge my weakness and ask for their understanding and support.

I am also an adult who suffers from ADHD. I can suffer alone in pain with the gaps and bumps this produces in my daily life, or I can be honest with people and acknowledge this disability.

Vulnerability is the willingness to face either victory or defeat, but above all take the risk of being all in.

Modern psychologists have proven that vulnerability is the catalyst that helps us to overcome our feelings of shame. This is important on a human level, but it can even have eternal consequences. If the prodigal son remain paralyzed by his shame, he would never have returned to his loving Father and experience the blessing of forgiveness and reconciliation. Often the hardest person to forgive is ourselves.

Even if our heart is pounding with fear, or a small voice inside our head is saying “you are not good enough” we need to risk entering the race. We need to ask ourselves what is holding us back? What we are afraid of?

Are we trying to be perfect? Unfortunately, if we don’t deal with our pain, it may lead to us to try to numb our pain with entertainment, drugs or alcohol?

Why is this so vulnerability difficult?

Vulnerability is difficult because we fear how our weakness looks to others. Dr. Brené Brown, the world’s leading researcher in this area says, “Vulnerability is the first thing I look for in you and the last thing I’m willing to show you. In you, it’s courage and daring. In me, it’s weakness.” This is why I said it is counter intuitive. People admire rather than reject those who are vulnerable, but our fear holds us back.

I am reminded of the say saying by Mark Twain, “Now, I don't approve of dissipation, and I don't indulge in it either; but I haven't a particle of confidence in a man who has no redeeming petty vices.”

It would seem that revealing one’s ‘petty vices’ is a sign of authenticity, and vulnerability. Revealing and not hiding our ‘petty vices’ is sign of your awareness of the common weakness we share with all people. When we met someone who is attempting to appear perfect, this person is either hiding their sins and weaknesses, or not acknowledging God as the source of their strength to overcome them.

As Jesus notes, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

Step 3: Our Transformation in Christ

One outstanding positive example of vulnerability in the Bible is the story of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10). As a blind beggar in Jesus’ world, poor Bart would have every reason to think he was not good enough to warrant Jesus’ attention. Yet he puts himself forward and cries out, “Jesus, son of David have mercy on me!” The crowds try to shut him down, but he keeps crying out.

Finally, Jesus calls him and says, “What do you want from me?” He says, “Master, let me receive my sight.” … and Jesus heals him.

I believe Jesus Christ came into this world to be model and an icon of vulnerability. St. Paul tells us that Jesus

“...though he was in the form of God
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave...”

What greater example could there be of taking the risk of being all in, of great daring, and emotional risk, than for the God of the universe to become a little child and dwell among us. Jesus calls each one of us to imitate him and be his disciple.

Often our shame keeps us from relationship with God. God does desire to move us forward to greater perfection, but this is not how we start the journey. Jesus said; “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mk 2:17).

St. Paul notes, “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

Are you feeling like you are not good enough? Welcome to the club! None of us is good enough on our own, if we were, we would not need Jesus. I truly believe that if we take the risk of trusting in Jesus, we will begin the journey of healing, and can hope to hear the words of the master, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.”

Transforming Desire

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 19:1-10), we have the colorful story of Zacchaeus'  conversion.

A number of things about Zacchaeus’ life would have made him feel incredibly inadequate. He was a chief tax collector and a wealthy man. Tax collectors were widely regarded as notorious public sinners. Being wealthy as well, especially from dishonest gain, was also an obstacle to his faith.

We can see three stages in the conversion of Zacchaeus, his initial desire, this act of seeking, and his transformation.

Desire 

Zacchaeus “was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature” (Luke 19:3).  The act of seeking is an important theme in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus connects this to ‘seeking to find what is lost.’ The beginning of Zacchaeus’ journey was his desire to see Jesus as he was passing by. I believe this desire was given to him by God.

Seeking

It is not enough to possess this desire. We must act on it. We experience many distractions in our lives, including our feelings of not being good enough. It would take courage to embrace these feelings and choose to ‘show up and be seen’ by those who reject him. The crowds would be very unfriendly to him.We call this type of courage vulnerability. Jesus says, “everyone who humbles himself we be exalted” (Luke 18:14, cf. Sirach 35:21).

Zacchaeus needed the humility to face the hostile crowd and to seek to find Jesus. He ran ahead of the crowds and “climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus.” A sycamore tree had a wide, short trunk with lateral branches that would be easy to climb.

Transformation

Unexpectedly, when Jesus arrived at the tree he, “looked up and said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house’" (Luke 19:5). To his great surprise, Jesus knows Zacchaeus by name, and wants to share hospitality with him.

St. Luke tells us, Zacchaeus “came down quickly and received him with joy” (Luke 19:6) but the crowds begin to grumble against Jesus (Luke 19:6).  

The crowd failed to understand the Gospel message. Many religious people understand faith as a set of rules to follow; it is all about duty and obligation. After all Zacchaeus was a rule breaker!

The New Law of the Gospel is the transformation of our heart from within (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is a call to be holy as God himself is holy, and to imitate Jesus.

Zacchaeus’ conversion illustrates the profound difference this interior work of the Spirit makes. Hearing the protest of the crowd, Zacchaeus spontaneously makes reparation for his past sins. He says, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over” (Luke 19:8).

Zacchaeus is not just following the rules. He is pursuing a newfound holiness with excellence. At the time of Jesus, it was considered generous to give away 20 percent of one’s possessions and legal restitution for extortion was 20 percent (Lev. 5:16; Num. 5:7). The harsher double penalty Zacchaeus imposed on himself was only for rustlers (Exod. 22:1).

The crowds would have been quite satisfied with Zacchaeus meeting the obligation of the law, but the Spirit has led him to a more excellent way. (2 Corinthians 9:7).

I pray that the Lord will awaken a newfound desire in each of our hearts. He knows each of us by name. Let us do what we can to seek him. Today if you hear his voice, open the door, and invite him into your house.

Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).

For a longer treatment of this passage, please see: 

Not Short on Desire 

Not Short on Holy Desire

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 19:1-10), we have the very colorful story of the conversion of Zacchaeus. Luke says that Zacchaeus was short in stature, but he is not the shortest man in the Bible. The shortest man in the Bible is clearly one of Job’s three friends, Bildad the Shuhite (2:11; 8:1). 

Joking aside, we learn that Zacchaeus was a person who was able to overcome many obstacles to his faith. A number of things about his life would have made him feel incredibly inadequate. He was a chief tax collector and a wealthy man. As we saw with the contrast between the Pharisee and the tax collector last Sunday, the Jews considered this profession inherently sinful. Tax collectors were widely regarded as notorious public sinners, for their betrayal of the Jewish people by collaborating with the Roman occupation, and the widespread practice of overcharging and extortion.

In the popular mind, tax collectors were ‘unclean’ and on par with Gentiles. Being the chief tax collector would make matters worse.

Being wealthy as well, especially from dishonest gain, was also an obstacle to his faith. In the previous chapter, a rich man fails to respond with faith to Jesus, because he will not renounce his world possessions (Luke 18:18-23) and this elicits Jesus' hard saying about detachment from wealth (Luke 18:25).

We can see three sages in the conversion of Zacchaeus, his initial desire, this act of seeking, and his transformation.

Desire

Zacchaeus “was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature” (Luke 19:3). Zacchaeus was acting on his desire to try to find, or to seek or search for Jesus. This act of seeking is an important theme in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus connects this to ‘seeking to find what is lost.’ Jesus admonishes each one of us, “For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11: 10). The beginning of Zacchaeus’ journey was his desire to see Jesus as he was passing by.

Seeking

It is not enough to possess this desire. We must act on it. We experience many distractions in our lives. A person who is feeling small, and inadequate, and even despised by others, could easily seek to numb these feelings with pleasures and amusements, or to blame others and lash out with anger at the injustice.

It would take courage to act rightly and enter the silence of our inner thoughts, and embrace these feelings and choose to overcome these obstacles. Jesus is in the midst of the crowds, so Zacchaeus must choose to ‘show up and be seen’ by those who reject him. We call the courage to ‘show up and be seen’ vulnerability. Many people would mistakenly think vulnerability is foolish, and a sign of weakness. Yet Jesus says, “everyone who humbles himself we be exalted” (Luke 18:14). As Sirach reminds us “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal” (Sirach 35:21).

Zacchaeus needed the humility to face who he really was, and yet to overcome his feelings of shame by not caring what others would think about him, and instead to seek Jesus. He must go out into the hostile crowd and seek to find Jesus.

He forms a plan. He ran ahead of the crowds and “climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus.” A sycamore tree had a wide, short trunk with lateral branches that would be easy to climb. This was perfect, given the challenges of his stature. Since he was unpopular, He could not expect anyone to help him climb up into the tree.

Zacchaeus follows his awakening desire, and makes plans to see and hear Jesus as he passes by in the midst of the crowd. Yet, he is expecting to satisfy his curiosity from a safe distance.

Transformation

Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus takes a completely unexpected turn. When Jesus arrived at the tree he, “looked up and said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house’" (Luke 19:5). Not only does Jesus notice him, and acknowledge him, he knows Zacchaeus by name! Jesus has supernatural personal knowledge of Zacchaeus and if that is not amazing enough, he wants to share hospitality with him. The emphatic use of the word ‘today’ and they way Jesus phrases his request even denotes divine necessity.

In obvious contrast to the rich man in the previous narrative who goes away sad (Luke 18:18-23), Zacchaeus “came down quickly and received him with joy” (Luke 19:6). Yet we are still in the midst of the crowds and they begin to grumble or murmur against Jesus, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner" (Luke 19:6).

The crowd failed to understand the newness of the Gospel message. Many religious people understand faith as a set of rules to follow; it is all about duty and obligation. After all Zacchaeus was a rule breaker!

As St. Paul reminds us, however, “whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The New Law of the Gospel is the transformation of our heart from within. Yet if we are no longer under the law, have we abandoned the notion of sin?

The New Law of Jesus, summarized in the Sermon on the Mount, is a call to an even higher degree of excellence. It is a call to be holy as God himself is holy, and to imitate Jesus. It involves a transformation from within by the Holy Spirit and it is spontaneously lived in relationship with Jesus, and founded on his love and mercy.

Zacchaeus’ conversion illustrates the profound difference this interior work of the Spirit makes. Hearing the protest of the crowd, Zacchaeus spontaneously makes reparation for his past sins. He says, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over” (Luke 19:8).

Zacchaeus is not just following the rules. He is pursuing a newfound holiness with excellence. At the time of Jesus, it was generous to give away 20 percent of one’s possessions. The rabbis actually thought it was unwise to give more! The legal restitution for extortion was also 20 percent (Lev. 5:16; Num. 5:7), and the harsher double penalty Zacchaeus imposed on himself was only mandated for rustlers (Exod. 22:1).

The crowds would have been quite satisfied with Zacchaeus merely meeting the obligation of the law, but the Spirit has led him to a “more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). As St. Paul reminds us, the new Law isn’t about merely following the percentages, “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (RSVCE, 2 Corinthians 9:7).

Jesus recognizes this. He says to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10).

I pray that the Lord will awaken a newfound desire in each of our hearts. He knows each of us by name. Let us do what we can to seek him. Today if you hear his voice, open the door, and invite him into your house.

Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).

By the Grace of God I am What I am

Our parable in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 18:9-14) is a very familiar story. St Luke tells us “Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else (Luke 18:1).

Being ‘convinced’ means trusting in our own righteousness and this is not the path of salvation. It often leads our heart to view others with contempt, and this is extremely damaging both to others and to our soul.

Jesus’ parable introduces a contrast between a certain Pharisee and a tax collector. One of the reasons we do “not to judge others” is that we do not know their hearts. Yet this Pharisee reveals his heart to us. He prays, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity” He lists their sins and then looks down with contempt on the tax collector.

By way of contrast, the tax collector “stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner' (Luke 18:13). Jesus tells us the tax collector went home justified and not the Pharisee. He notes, “for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:13).

Jesus’ parable highlights the fundamental importance of the virtue of humility for our relationship with God and ultimately for our very salvation. In order to cooperate with God’s grace we must exercise “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 6:17, 16:25–26, Acts 6:7). In humility, we must each submit our hearts to God and follow him. This takes humility.

We need to recognize that everything we have received is a gift from God. As St. Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me” (RSVCE 1 Corinthians 15:10).

We are each saved, not by bargaining with God through our own good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), but by the grace and mercy of God. Not thinking to ourselves be good, or else, but be good for goodness sake.

If you are like me, I think you would assume that you are not like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable. After all, I do not come to church and publically boast about my righteousness in my prayers and treat others with open contempt.

Yet, could we still be subtly trusting in our own righteousness? We should choose to live a good life in gratitude and out of love for God. We each receive forgiveness, however, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and not because of our good works. Our good works are the fruit of our relationship with God.

Receiving his forgiveness, however, implies I have cooperated with the graces of my Baptism by submitting my heart, indeed my entire life to God, and that I am actively striving to live in an ongoing relationship with him. This is what it means to have the fruit of God’s grace in our life.

Lord may we humble ourselves this day, and recognize our need for you in all things, and in all we accomplish.

For a more detailed treatment of this passage see:  Grace and Humility

 

 

 

Grace and Humility

Our parable in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 18:9-14) is a very familiar story. St. Luke tells us, “Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else" (Luke 18:1).

The word used for ‘convinced’ means to believe in something to the extent of placing reliance or trust on it. In this case, Jesus addresses religious people who are not trusting in God, but in themselves or their own righteousness.

This misplaced trust leads to negative behaviors. They “despised everyone else” (Luke 18:1). Despising others means to regard others as being below you and therefore worthy of maltreatment or contempt. Contempt is very corrosive in human relationships, and is damaging both to others and to our soul. Quoting St. Augustine, the Catechism reminds us, “Sin is thus ‘love of oneself even to contempt of God.’” (CCC 1850).

Jesus’ parable introduces a contrast between a certain Pharisee and a tax collector. One of the reasons we do “not to judge others” is that we do not know their hearts. Yet it is difficult to hear the words of the Pharisee in this parable without seeing his heart. He prays, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity” He lists their sins and then looks down on the tax collector. The Pharisee clearly trusts in his own righteousness and regards the tax collector with contempt (Luke 18:1).

By way of contrast, the tax collector “stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner' (Luke 18:13). Jesus tells us the tax collector went home justified and not the Pharisee, “for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:13).

Jesus’ parable highlights the fundamental importance of the virtue of humility for our relationship with God and ultimately for our very salvation. This is because we must exercise what the Bible calls “the obedience of faith” to enter into a relationship with God. The proper response of man to God’s revelation, aided by the interior movement of the Spirit, is obedience of faith (Romans 1:5; 6:17, 16:25–26, Acts 6:7).

The fathers of Second Vatican Council describe this obedience as “a commitment by which we offer the whole self freely to God, and by which we offer the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals” (Dei Verbum, 5). Submitting ourselves to God requires humility.

Unfortunately, some religious people understand their faith as a kind of ‘scorecard’ or heavenly ‘report card’. They list off all the good things they have done, and have confidence in these good works rather than in God. They are not trying to show their love and gratitude to God through their good works, but to manipulate or bargain with God to force his favor towards them.

They fail to acknowledge that the source of all our excellence and glory is God. We have received everything as a gift, even life itself. The essence of true humility is docility and the subjection of our will to divine Providence. It fundamentally involves a type of self-knowledge. As St. Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me” (RSVCE, 1 Corinthians 15:10). St. Paul acknowledges that everything he is comes from God’s grace.

We are each saved, not by bargaining with God through our works (Ephesians 2:8-9), but by the grace and mercy of God. The tax collector, is aware of his shortcomings, and yet prays, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner' (Luke 18:13). Jesus tells us that he is the one who receives salvation.

Trusting in our own righteousness is the sin of presumption against the virtue of hope. The person who commits this sin “presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high)” (CCC 2092).

If you are like me, I think you would assume that you are not like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable. After all, I do not come to church and publically boast about my righteousness in my prayers and treat others with open contempt.

Yet, could we still be subtly embracing these attitudes?

Many Catholics, when asked, “If you died and came to the gates of heaven and they asked you why you should get in?” would answer, “Because I think I am a pretty good person.” On the surface, by the way, this is an alarmingly bad answer! To be charitable, perhaps they have in mind the evidence of the fruit of God’s grace in their life. Perhaps they mean, “I am still in a state of grace, and the fruit of my life demonstrates this.”

Yet, could we still be subtly trusting in our own righteousness? We should choose to live a good life in gratitude and out of love for God. Yet we each receive forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Receiving this forgiveness, however, implies I have cooperated with the graces of my Baptism by submitting my heart, indeed my entire life to God, and that I am actively striving to live in an ongoing relationship with him. This is what it means to have the fruit of God’s grace in our life. This grace begins with humility!

As we contemplate these truths anew, let us pray with St. Augustine,

Let me know you, O you who know me;

then shall I know even as I am known.

You are the strength of my soul;

make your way in and shape it to yourself,

that it may be yours to have and to hold,

free from stain or wrinkle”

(St. Augustine, Confessions 10.1.1)[i]

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[i] Saint Augustine, The Confessions, Part I, ed. John E. Rotelle, trans. Maria Boulding, Second Edition, vol. 1, The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2012), 237.

Always Pray Without Becoming Weary

In our Gospel for this Sunday (Luke 18:1-8) we have an important parable on prayer. Luke gives us the meaning of the parable before it is told. He tells us, “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary” (Luke 18:1). The word used for necessary means “of that which one should do,” meaning should, must or ought. Such prayer would be a moral imperative for Christians.

Is the command to “pray always” a literary exaggeration, or a hyperbole? St. Paul gives a similar exhortation, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). St. Paul uses an even stronger word to pray constantly or unceasingly.

Christians throughout the ages have taken this command seriously, but practically speaking it seems impossible. St. Augustine offers a solution commenting on Psalm 38:9, “Lord, before you is all my desire, and my groaning is not hidden from you.” (Psalm 38:9). “This very desire is your prayer,” St. Augustine notes, “and if your desire is continuous, your prayer is continuous too” (Expositions of the Psalms 33–50, 9-10). We pray continuously by lifting our heart up to God at all times. He also notes that “…we also pray to God in words at certain fixed hours and times, so that we may urge ourselves on and take note with ourselves how much progress we have made in this desire, and may rouse ourselves more earnestly to increase it. (Letter 130). In this way we can attempt to pray without ceasing.

Jesus admonishes us to pray like this so that we will not become weary. Prayer is a way to maintain our faith in the face of trials and difficulties. As Jesus asks at the end of the parable, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8b).

What can we learn about prayer in this parable? 

Jesus compares prayer to a widow who seeks justice from an unjust judge. Although God’s character and nature are completely different from the unjust judge, we are told the judge finally gives in to the widow's request. The judge says, “’While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” 

The lectionary may be too literal here. The expression “lest she finally come and strike me (hypōpiazē), can mean “to give someone a black eye,” but it can also be used figuratively, meaning to wear someone down emotionally or to beat down someone’s reputation. [1] Are we really to believe the judge gave in under a threat of violence?

More generally, we need to be careful with this comparison in relation to our own prayer life. Are we to think that God does not notice our needs and only answers because we keep bothering him or pestering him with our prayers? God is not an unjust judge but our loving Father.

Traditionally we have understood four things about the presence of God in our prayer. First the eyes of God are always upon us. There is nothing hidden from him. We have no need to give God an update on the situation! Secondly by his divine power his hand is at work in every situation. What he does not directly cause, he at least allows. Everything is part of his divine plan. Even the evil God allows brings about his good according to his providence. Thirdly God has shared his divine essence with all of his creation, and we continue to exist because of this. God is ever present to all of us and is not distracted in one place so that he needs to share his attention for us with others. He is completely present to all of us at once. Finally, for Christians, God is present by the indwelling of his Spirit. This is the most intimate and personal form of his presence. When God dwells in us, we then dwell in him. We are not just held in existence by his presence, we live in his presence.

Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23). We become friends of God (John 15:15). Because of his all-powerful presence, prayer is not a time to inform God or to persuade God. He already knows our needs and will act according to his divine purpose.

When we pray for a favor, and it is granted in our prayer, we have not changed God’s mind. Instead, what happens is, we were moved interiorly by God to pray, and we became aware of something he had already chosen to give.

The purpose of our unceasing prayer is to allow our desire to be transformed in union with his desires. As St. James reminds us, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Our prayer should fan the flames of our relationship with God. It should inspire our faith and draw us closer to him.

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^[1] Darrell L. Bock, Luke: 9:51–24:53, vol. 2, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1996), 1449.

Overcoming Shame

This Sunday’s reading from Luke’s Gospel (Lk 17:11-19) is a very familiar story. Ten lepers approach Jesus and are healed, yet only one returns to give thanks. We can easily see the themes of healing, faith and gratitude, but there are other aspects to this story, which touch on all of our hearts. Lepers are not the only ones suffering from rejection, loneliness and feelings of unworthiness. 

Have these feelings ever touched you?

Leprosy in the Bible covered a wide variety of skin conditions, but none of them is what we mean by this disease today. While we do not know what kind of skin conditions these men had, we do know that, according to Jewish law, they were required to isolate themselves from normal society.

The social isolation and their subsequent rejection as “unclean” would have been more painful than the disease itself.

The rate of cure from these skin diseases was very low, in fact, first-century rabbis thought that the cure of a leper was as difficult as raising a person from the dead. If a leper recovered, they could only be restored to normal society after the priest examined them and after they had offered the prescribed sacrifice for purification (Leviticus 13–14).

Clearly, Jesus’ miraculous healings came to the attention of these ten men, and the promise of this good news brought them out of isolation. While they desired healing, they needed to have considerable courage to overcome the rejection they would have felt in their community. The lepers “stood at a distance” (Luke 11:12) and “raised their voice” to Jesus (17:13) so that they could keep respectful distance.

A disease caused the plight of these lepers, but their emotional circumstances parallel many people in our world today. Modern researchers have demonstrated that each one of us is hardwired neurologically for connection with others. A sense of secure connection with others is literally one of our highest needs.

Many people suffer from the fear of being disconnected from others. They often secretly fear that there is something about them, which if revealed to others, would cause other people to reject them because they would not be worthy of connection. The name we give to this fear of disconnection is shame.

The truth is that each one of us has from time to time experienced the feeling that "I'm not good enough." The “good” which we are measuring with these feelings can vary widely. Some common themes might be the thought that I am not thin enough, rich enough, beautiful enough, smart enough, successful enough, promoted or appreciated enough. As a result, we often secretly fear that we are unworthy of connection with others.

Researchers tell us that shame is pretty much universal. Shame seems to play a digital track in our mind that says, “I’m never good enough” or if we get past this we might hear ourselves say, “who do you think you are?” A leading relationship researcher, Brené Brown, points out that for many people shame holds them hostage. They are unable to move past it and be healed. The truth is no one likes to talk about their shame, and the less we talk about it, the more shame holds you in its grip.

Shame is different from guilt. Guilt is the feeling that we have transgressed some moral norm by our actions. We feel guilty when we did something wrong and regret it. Guilt can be a healthy emotion that helps us to readjust our actions and lead us to grow. 

Shame on the other hand, simply says “I am bad.” It is focused on self rather than behavior. Like the lepers in this Gospel, we can feel shame without having done anything wrong. We can be made to feel shamed by others when we are innocent of any guilty act.

Why do some people experience paralyzing shame while others seem to overcome these emotions?

The ten lepers illustrate the solution. The lepers feel rejected by their community because they believe their disease makes them unworthy of connection. As Jesus is passing by, the ten lepers courageously step forward and to allow themselves to be seen in all in their weakness.

The name for this courageous act of allowing oneself to be seen is vulnerability. Many people assume that vulnerability makes you weak. Instead of seeing this as a weakness we need to recognize that it takes a great deal of courage and authenticity to be vulnerable with others.

Modern researchers have demonstrated that we are all capable being vulnerable with others. They have also demonstrated that vulnerability is a key catalyst to forming secure human connections. Shame can only grow and thrive in secrecy and darkness. Vulnerably releases us from the paralyzing grip of shame.

Brené Brown explains, “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage” (Rising Strong).

Although she does not use the word vulnerability, St. Teresa of Avila in her work, The Interior Castle, admonishes that the soul practicing prayer should spend much time in the room of self-knowledge. St. Teresa equates self-knowledge with humility. No matter how advanced a soul is it always needs self-knowledge or an awareness of what we were before with all the feelings of guilt and shame, but when we approach God he reveals to us what we now are by his grace. We need to recognize what we would be without Him, and of the constant danger of falling if we rely on ourselves.

St. Teresa observes, “Without humility all will be lost” (IC, 13). Teresa warns that we must not only think of our own weakness but must “soar aloft in meditation” on God’s greatness. In prayer there are no secrets hidden from God, and as we draw near to him, he communicates his unconditional love to us.

In community, we must learn to accept who we are and to be willing to let other see are weaknesses. Having said this, of course this does not mean having no healthy boundaries, or privacy with others. It means the willingness to practicing vulnerability.

There is also a danger of false humility or thinking that we are humble because of our weaknesses. Yet St. Teresa observes that when the soul only thinks of its own weakness and never of God’s greatness there is a danger that we will not rise above our own nature by grace and remain burdened by cowardice and fear. Again, this sounds a great deal like a description of paralyzing shame. The courage of vulnerability is the antidote for our shame.

Our Gospel today is a metaphor for our own journey with God in prayer. We need to be vulnerable first interiorly with ourselves, and then before God, and finally before others. The presence of Jesus brought the lepers out of hiding. Being seen by Jesus allowed them to be healed. We need the courage to let our weakness be seen, and then to allow ourselves to vulnerable with God and then with our family, our friends, and our community.

Perhaps final a word of caution is in order. Obviously, our vulnerability needs to be done with prudence. Being vulnerable does not mean revealing our conscience and weaknesses to every person we meet. We have the right to privacy, and to defend our good reputation. For good reason there is a seal on the rite of Confession preventing the priest from ever revealing what is said. Yet beginning with those we trust; we need to be vulnerable to grow and overcome our feelings of shame.

The Thanks We Owe Him

Have you ever had the experience of working extra hard on something, and even of going well beyond the normal expectation, only to have someone ignore your extra effort? In his sacred humanity, Jesus was able to experience the emotion of feeling under-appreciated. Jesus is affected by the ingratitude and selfishness of those he served.

In our gospel reading this week from St. Luke (Lk 17:11-19), Jesus heals ten lepers. Lepers cannot directly approach Jesus because of their disease. The ten lepers urgently cry out for mercy. Healing all of them from a distance, Jesus tells them to go and show themselves to the priest as the law required.

Taking Jesus at this word the ten lepers are instantly cleansed of their illness. One of the lepers, realizing that he has been healed by God, “returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him” (Luke 17:15-16). Clearly, heartfelt, spontaneous praise is the appropriate response to receiving God’s amazing mercy.

While perhaps few of us receive a physical healing as spectacular as the one in this Gospel narrative, we do receive a special grace each time we receive the Real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The substantial Presence of Jesus remains with us for a short time after we consume the Holy Eucharist. Because of this the Church has always seen the reception of the Eucharist as a special time of communion with our Lord and as the most opportune time to make an act of thanksgiving. If possible, the best way to do this is to stay behind to pray in thanksgiving after receiving.

A story is told from the life of St. Philip Neri, who noticed a man who, before the final blessing, habitually left the Church right after receiving Communion. To help him better understand the true significance of the Holy Eucharist, Fr. Neri instructed two acolytes to approach the altar and to take up one candle each and to follow this man in solemn procession as he left the Church and walked home through the streets of Rome.

When the man noticed the procession, he asked the two acolytes what they were doing, and they explained that Fr. Neri had told them to accompany him and make an act of thanksgiving as they did so. Less than amused, the man returned immediately to confront Fr. Neri. When asked why he did this, the saint replied,

“It is to pay proper respect to Our Lord, whom you carry away with you. Since you neglect to adore him, I send the servers in your place.”

In the presence of this great saint, the man immediately saw his fault and knelt devoutly before the altar and made a proper act of thanksgiving.

Do you desire a deeper and more intimate relationship with God? Would you like to see God soften your heart and help you to conquer your faults? Would you like to be a more loving person? The truth is that thanksgiving our door to God’s presence. As St Paul reminds us, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17).

The secret to a more intimate relationship with God is to spend time with him in thanksgiving. Imagine what transformation would take place in our hearts if each one of us spent some extra time in thanksgiving this week.