Publican and the Pharisee 2022

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.