30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 27th, 2019
Luke 18: 9-14
The Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Luke 18:9-14
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’
Commentary: “The second parable that Jesus tells in Luke 18 addresses attitude in prayer. In contrasting the prayer of the Pharisee with the prayer of the tax collector, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in humility before God. Jesus again surprises his listeners by showing the tax collector as the example of faith, rather than the Pharisee. Remember that Pharisees were members of a sect of Judaism active in Jesus’ time. They taught an oral interpretation of the Law of Moses as the basis for Jewish piety. If anyone would be a model for prayer, a Pharisee was a likely candidate. In contrast, Jesus offers the tax collector as a model for prayer. Tax collectors were collaborators with the Roman authorities in a system that allowed the tax collectors to line their own pockets by charging in excess of the defined taxes. Yet, in this parable, Jesus offers the humility of the tax collector as a model for the prayer of a disciple. The parable reminds us that when we pray, we must remember our need for God in our lives. If we are too full of ourselves, there is too little room for God’s grace to work in us.” Loyola Press/Sunday Connection
Questions:
1. Describe how the tax collector is humble.
2. Why is humility a difficult stance from which to operate or live?
3. When were you forced to sit on the sidelines and how did you feel about this?
Words to the Song – Got it in You – Banners
Holding back the flood in this skyscraper town/ You gave all that sweat and blood, now you think you’re gonna drown / You can’t tell that you’re bigger than the sea that you’re sinking in/ And you don’t know what you got but you got it at your fingertips.
Ooh, you got it in you. Ooh, you got it in you.
When the lights go out and leave you standing in the dark / No one ever told you this would be so hard / I know you think your fire is burning out / But I still see you shining through/ you got it in you.
Not everything you hear should sound like the truth / ‘Cause nobody else’s words can define you / Maybe you don’t see it but you’re quicker than the world can spin / You should know what you got cause you got it at your fingertips.
Ooh, you got it in you. Ooh, you got it in you.
When the lights go out and leave you standing in the dark / No one ever told you this would be so hard / I know you think your fire is burning out / But I still see you shining through/ You got it in you.
When the lights go out and leave you standing in the dark / No one ever told you this would be so hard / I know you think your fire is burning out / But I still see you shining through/ You got it in you.
You got it in you. You got it in you.
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Visio Divina
1.Visio (See) Look at the art. What do you see? What is happening?
2.Meditatio (Meditate) How does it make you feel?
3.Lectio (Read, Context) Read the Gospel passage above. Although the Annunciation depicted here is from the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel, it shows the same virtue that Jesus is teaching. What is it? Henry Ossawa Tanner was the first prominent African-American artist.
4.Oratio (Pray) Silently sit with this image opening yourself up to the flow of the Holy Spirit.
5.Contemplatio (Ponder) How is God speaking to you in this Visio Divina? Share your thoughts by writing them or telling them.
6.Operatio (Act) Because of this Visio Divina, what acts or changes in thinking do you want to happen in your life?