The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today encourage us to examine our spiritual practice for the humility and compassion that leads to greater awareness of God and others.
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The Prophet Hosea observes that presumptuous Israel expects that soon God will renew them.
* [6:2] After two days; on the third day: presumptuous Israel expects that soon God will renew them (cf. Ez 37).1
In Psalm 51 the verses assume that the rebuilt Temple will be an ideal site for national reconciliation.
* [51:20–21] Most scholars think that these verses were added to the Psalm some time after the destruction of the Temple in 587 B.C. The verses assume that the rebuilt Temple will be an ideal site for national reconciliation.2
In the Gospel from Luke the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector illustrates how humility connects us with Mercy.
* [18:15–19:27] Luke here includes much of the material about the journey to Jerusalem found in his Marcan source (Lk 10:1–52) and adds to it the story of Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1–10) from his own particular tradition and the parable of the gold coins (minas) (Lk 19:11–27) from Q, the source common to Luke and Matthew.3
Steve Scholer invites us to pause and assess our own humility. In our daily prayers to God are we sometimes like the Pharisee reminding him about all the good things we have done? Or, do we embrace humility as a sign of our growing spiritual development and willingness to accept a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God?
Being humble is a freeing experience. You don’t feel the need to compare yourselves with others, be it the car they drive or the house they live in, because you know yourself and don’t need someone else’s opinion to validate your own self-worth. The only opinion that matters is God’s.
Humility makes it easy for us to interact with others, as the humble person rarely takes offense at slights, real or imagined, and is quick to acknowledge their own errors. Humility also leads to greater compassion, as a deeper awareness of our own faults and weaknesses makes it easier to be understanding of those who, like us, have stumbled along the way.4
Don Schwager quotes “God's mercy is our only hope,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Driven out of paradise by You and exiled in a distant land, I cannot return by myself unless You, O Lord, come to meet me in my wandering. My return is based on hope in your mercy during all of my earthly life. My only hope, the only source of confidence, and the only solid promise is your mercy." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 24,5)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 18:9-14 asserts that these two characters show us a key element to prayer. Fruitful prayer involves moving away from ourselves and toward God. It involves listening to his words of mercy rather than offering him our words of self-congratulation.
We know how much of a struggle it can be to keep God at the center of our prayer. We might have pressing concerns that fight for our attention. We might be tired and find our minds wandering. Or we might find it hard to focus because we are excited about some good news—or bad news—we have just heard. God knows it’s a struggle. He knows the obstacles we face, and he is delighted with our efforts to turn our minds and hearts back to him.
Keep that in mind as you approach God in prayer today. Whether it’s your own personal prayer or prayer at the vigil Mass this evening, know that God waits eagerly, like a parent ready to scoop up his child the moment the child lifts her arms toward him.6
Friar Jude Winkler points to the likely intervention of God after a period of three days in Hosea. Sincere penitential practice expresses our intention to change “from today on”. Friar Jude invites us to recognize our brokenness and seek from God that which we cannot provide.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, presents this week’s invitation to contemplative practice from Jim Marion’s book Putting on the Mind of Christ.
In the spiritual path we cannot jump steps. We must start exactly where we are now... Second, we must listen to the “small still voice” of the Spirit within (see 1 Kings 19:11-13)... Third, we must work hard on ourselves. . . Fourth, we must be patient. The spiritual path takes years. . .Fifth, we should find a community of people who think as we do, who are as serious about the spiritual path as we are, and who can pray with us and support us. As Jesus said, two or three gathered in his name are far more effective than going it alone (Matthew 18:20).7
The humble approach of the tax collector is a model to increase our awareness of the state of our transformation and our need to be the mercy and compassion we seek to others.
References
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(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 51 - usccb. Retrieved March 30, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved March 30, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 30, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(2019, March 29). 3rd Week of Lent - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for .... Retrieved March 30, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/03/30/
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(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: March 2019 - Daily Meditations Archives .... Retrieved March 30, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/03/
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