Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee 2020 - Fr. Nicholas Carr

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.

Glory to the Father. Today's Gospel reading is

one that we hear every year at this time on the

Sunday of the publican and of the Pharisee. But

do we really see the message? Do we really hear

what is being said? You know, in verse 9, which

is the verse just before this parable starts,

the author of this gospel, Luke, says these words.

Also, he, meaning Jesus, spoke this parable to

some who trusted in themselves that they were

righteous. and despised others. So we know that

this parable, a parable which is a story, which

is to impart to us some message or truth, a moral,

some truth that Jesus is trying to get to us,

we're already told what that lesson is, even

before we hear it. Luke has told us that he's

telling this parable to the people who trust

in themselves. They don't trust in God as much

as they trust in themselves. And they despise

others. Now, when we think of the word despise,

we think of something that's really strong, right?

You despise them. But along with this is this

idea of judging their actions. So what is this

parable about? It's about us when we think we

are the ones in charge. We trust ourselves. And

we look at everybody else. We often will pick

people to choose. And then we compare ourselves

to them. And we say, I'm really good. That person,

they don't have it together. Whoever it is. So

now... When Jesus is telling us this story, that

to make us see that, he's going to do it by having

two people and having one be a Pharisee. A Pharisee

who is a teacher of the law, who is respected

in the community, who is thought of very highly.

And you can see the irony here because this is

the person doing it wrong. And then there's the

publican. Now, some of you may not know the word

publican really means tax collector. And the

Romans came into the land and took it over and

hired local Jewish people to be the tax collectors

of the land to take money. And they weren't always

honest when they collected the money. Sometimes

they collected a little bit extra for their own

pocket. And so this person, the publican that

Jesus tells us about, is a person that's looked

down on in society, is looked on as a public

sinner. Just by their very profession, they're

a collaborator with the Romans who have invaded

the land, and they're cheating people of their

money. And this is the person that the Lord gives

us as an example of someone doing something right.

So there's irony here at the start. You know,

it tells us, you've heard, never judge a book

by its cover, or perhaps in modern days we could

say, never judge a book by its movie, right?

Because usually the book's better than the movie.

But in any case, it's what's on the inside that

really counts, not what's on the outside. What

the world sees is a Pharisee, supposedly very

respectable, Of course, we have the publican

who is looked down upon, and yet we'll see it's

reversed. The Pharisee prays this. God, I thank

you that I am not like other men, extortioners,

unjust, adulterous, or even as this tax collector.

I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that

I possess. So, at first glance, we might see...

Someone thanking God. That's good. Someone fasting.

We do our best to fast, as the church calls us

to. And tithing. None of these things are bad.

But you can see an attitude, a worldview, this

inner person that's shining out. And what is

he giving thanks for? Well, he's thanking God

that he's not like those other people, those

losers. Is he loving those other people around

him? Not at all. And he's saying, I am not unjust.

I'm not adulterous. I give tithes. Therefore,

I'm going to go to heaven. And he's very confident

in himself. He's not confident necessarily that

God is going to do it. He is the one that's going

to do it. We have to be careful because we can

be like that. We can think we are the ones that

are going to do what's right and make it to heaven

because we do what is right. I did that. I'm

good. Well, be careful. Be careful. Let's look

at the publican. The tax collector says, he doesn't

even speak right away. He would not so much as

raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast,

and then says, God be merciful to me, a sinner.

We see repentance, a person admitting their need

for God. We see, perhaps, where the Jesus prayer

even comes from. Perhaps it was motivated by

these words of this parable. The Jesus prayer,

which I say as Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,

have mercy on me, a sinner. And this man is saying,

God be merciful to me, a sinner. He's coming

before God broken, contrite, humbled. This isn't

the example that we are to have. And Jesus sums

up the parable by saying this. I tell you, this

man went down to his house, meaning the publican,

justified rather than the other, the Pharisee.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

and he who humbles himself will be exalted. There's

a virtue and there's a vice. There's a virtue

of humility and there's a vice of pride. Each

one of us needs to look at ourselves. I know

I have and I do suffer from some pride. I admit

it to everyone here. And I repent of that. And

I'm trying to learn humility. I'm urging God

to help it move forward. And I encourage all

of you to do the same. Ask God to grant you humility.

The words of scripture say in Matthew, blessed

are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

And in the Psalms, a broken and contrite heart

God will not despise. And in another Psalm, I

was brought low and the Lord helped me. And in

a proverb, everyone that is proud of heart is

an abomination to the Lord. And in another proverb,

God resists the proud. And the prophet Isaiah

says, woe to them that are wise in their own

eyes and prudent in their own sight. And James,

in the book of James, says, humble thyself in

the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up.

You know, our community, we've gone through several

funerals here. We've felt the losses of George

and Karen and Merope, and there's others of us

who have members in our family who have either

just passed away or are close to that. And we

can mourn and weep, but we should also see the

gift that's given to us in the remembrance of

death, that each one of us, we need to recognize.

We're going to be that person who passed away

should the Lord tarry and not return. We will

also face that same result. And we know that

there is an afterlife. We know that there is

life after death, that there is an eternal time.

There is God's love, there's God's mercy, there's

God's grace. There's a plan of salvation for

all humanity, for you and me and every person

that would take it. And the Holy Spirit will

speak to us in our inner man, in our noose, in

our heart. If we open up our inner self, just

as that publican had repentance in his heart.

If we do that, then we open the floodgates to

God working. And purifying and sanctifying and

making us holy and preparing us for that time

when we do pass on. We are swiftly approaching

Lent. And this is a gift to us. Sometimes we

kind of, I know, I'll speak for myself. I think,

oh no, here it is. I'm going to have to do this

or not do that. Or, you know, oh no. It's going

to be so busy. It's going to take so much of

my time. We can come at it with that attitude,

which I have in the past. Or we can say, this

is a gift from God to help us to become sanctified,

to be ready for heaven, to take ourselves and

place them in God's, place all of who we are

in God's hands and let him work to perfect us

and reunite us to him. St. Gregory Palamas says

these words that I believe deal with this virtue

and vice that we're looking at of pride and humility

in today's gospel. St. Gregory says, Let us humble

ourselves of our own free will, brethren, that

we may demonstrate our faith in Christ and also

be exalted by him. Or rather, may we acknowledge

our innate lowliness and the fact that the misleading

thoughts which sometimes arise within us are

from the demons. Then let us cry out to Christ

like the Canaanite woman, fall down before him,

and persevere in humble prayer, and we shall

obtain the grace which is given to the humble

-minded and speedily ascend to divine heights.

Imagine, if you will, two tall buildings with

a tight rope between the two of the buildings

and a long distance across. And there's a tight

rope walker and we're all on top of one of the

buildings watching this tight rope walker. And

he has a wheelbarrow. And he takes it and goes

across from one building and we watch. And he

goes across and across and across and makes it

to the other building. And then he comes back.

And there's no stumbling. Nothing goes wrong.

Everything looks perfect. And he gets back and

he says to all of the crowd there, he says, do

you think I can do it again? And everybody kind

of shakes their head. Yeah, yeah, you could do

it again. He said, okay, I would like a volunteer

to ride in this wheelbarrow. Not too many hands

went up. But if you think about it, there have

been many people who have ridden in the wheelbarrow.

They are saints because they trusted God, not

themselves. They got into the wheelbarrow and

let the Lord Jesus Christ take them across to

being sanctified and made holy and entered into

eternity. In a good way with the Lord. Can't

we do that? Can't we get into that wheelbarrow?

Won't you let yourself do that? And this Lent

is the time. We are entering the Triodion today.

We aren't officially entering Lent. But we are

officially entering the preparation for that

time. So begin to prepare yourself to enter Lent.

And to get into the wheelbarrow. And let Christ

take you across and sanctify you and make you

holy. Glory to Jesus Christ.