30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, The parable of Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Lk 18:9-14)

Introduction

- Jesus Prayer “Jesus, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner”.

- It is a prayer that existed from 5^th century onwards. The writings of the church fathers prove that. They used it for their spiritual growth.

- It is used by the desert fathers for their contemplation.

- It is a simple way of lifting our heart to God.

- It is a response to the preaching of St. Paul to pray continuously.

Content

- There are three important elements of the prayer that is shown in the parable

1. Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior

o It is the first part of Jesus prayer “Jesus, Son of God”

o If the most powerful God is with me why should I fear?

o It is a profession of our faith in Lord Jesus.

2. Accepting our limitations with a humble heart

o The second part of Jesus Prayer “Have mercy on me a sinner”.

o The tax collector accepted his sinful status with a humble heart.

o The Pharisee was not ready to be humble but was proud.

o We have nothing to boast in front of God, because we all are sinners.

3. Stop comparison

o The mentality that “I am better” will ruin our spiritual growth.

o Story - An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it. She would stand on her front porch and shout "PRAISE THE LORD!" Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout, "There ain't no Lord!" Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance. She stood on her porch and shouted "PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD! I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!" The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted, "PRAISE THE LORD." The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, "Aha! I told you there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn't."
The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, "PRAISE THE LORD. He not only sent me groceries, but He made the devil pay for them. Praise the Lord!"

o We sometimes compare with others and complain to God, “I am regular to my prayer and still why it happened to me. Those who are not at all praying lives happily”

Conclusion

- Let us pray constantly to the Lord by repeating the Jesus Prayer – when we rest, travel, relax or go to sleep.

- Let us pray with confidence in the Lord Jesus, with humble heart and without any comparison.