Love Triumphs Over Ritual
The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector can leave us puzzled. Both men went to the temple to pray, which is a good thing, but we see a mix of good and bad in both of them.
The Pharisee, though generally one of the community’s outstanding people trying to connect everyone to God, appears self-occupied. His prayer is more of a self-congratulation, listing his praiseworthy actions like tithing and fasting, and looking down on the tax collector. The tax collector, likely a ruthless figure in his day who profited from his fellow Jews, offers a simple and appropriate prayer: “have mercy on me”. However, unlike his fellow tax collectors Zacchaeus and Matthew, we don’t know if this man changes his ways; we are left with the ambiguity of his future.
Seeking Wholeness in Prayer
This ambiguity leaves us without a clear example to imitate. Instead, we can turn to our liturgy and the acronym Father Ted offered last week: ACTS—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
- This four-part structure offers a wholeness in prayer that is missing from both the Pharisee’s and the tax collector’s incomplete prayers.
- Our liturgy exemplifies this balance: we offer Confession when we cry out for mercy ; we offer Thanksgiving most fully at the eucharistic prayer ; we offer Adoration when singing “Glory to God in the highest” ; and we offer Supplications for the church and the world in our intercession.
The Ultimate Answer: Love
This parable might provide a warning especially for those of us who love the Anglo-Catholic tradition. We must guard against being “spiky” or too sure of ourselves, like the Pharisee. We must ensure our actions don’t convey contempt or look down on anyone, preventing others from darkening the door of the church.
There is another story in Luke’s gospel involving a pharisee and a known sinner that might help us see our way through the puzzle of today’s parable. The ultimate message lies in the story of the woman, a known sinner, who anoints Jesus’s feet. Her sins were forgiven, not because of her sorrow or humility, or because she did many good things, but because she loved much. More than all the prayers, tithes, and hymns, it is love—Love God, Love neighbour—that is the most important thing
Call to Action: Be Living Flames of Love
Let us take up the call we rehearse every Sunday: Love God. Love neighbour. May the Lord empower us by his spirit to be living flames of love in this place and in all the places where we live our lives. Let love for God and neighbour underlie all of our actions.
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