The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Fr. Matthew Siegman
Sirach 35:12-14,16-18 + 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 + Luke 18:9-14
The readings this Sunday are beautifully and simply summarized by the psalmist, who says, “the Lord hears the cry of the poor.” The scriptures are constantly reminding us that the Lord cares for the poor, and he expects us to do so as well. For us, this message continues to be just as important as it was when our Lord walked on the earth.
Our Church has always taught that we must hold the poor close to our hearts, which is why some of the recent trends in American Christianity are so dangerous. Many of us have unknowingly become like the pharisee in the Gospel, because many of us falsely think that our worldly success is something that we are responsible for ourselves. We often don’t recognize the blessings that God has given to us and the assistance of those around us. The myth of the “self-made man” is the epitome of this way of thinking.
On the other side of this thinking, we can easily fall into thinking that because our success and wealth is something we have earned, then those who are poor have earned their poverty. While we might not realize it, we might subconsciously believe that the poor are in poverty because they are lazy or have somehow earned their poverty. This can easily turn to resentment, anger, and a hardening of heart to helping the poor, destitute, and homeless.
We must resist this kind of thinking. The tax collector in the Gospel recognizes the truth. Tax collectors were often wealthy in worldly measures, but this man recognizes that worldly wealth is not the measure of a man. He says, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” In this statement we see the truth: worldly possessions are not the purpose of this life, and we will be judged on how we use what we have been given. St. Ambrose helps us to understand what this means, teaching that when we give to the poor, “your are not making a gift of what is yours to the poor man, but you are giving back to him what is his. You have been appropriating things that are meant to be for the common use of everyone.” (as quoted in Populorum Progressio, 23) St. Gregory the Great teaches us that “When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours.” (as quoted in CCC 2446)
This is a challenging teaching, but the Gospel challenges us even more this Sunday. The pharisee appears to be fulfilling the law from the outside. He has paid his tithe and made his fasts. But he has done all of these things not because of his love of God, and he has not done them to assist God’s beloved poor. He has done this pridefully, so that others may see how holy he is. We know that this is the case, because in the verse before our reading this Sunday, we learn that this parable was addressed to those who were “convinced of their own righteousness.”
This Sunday, we are invited to examine our lives. Have we given of ourselves to the poor? Have we poured ourselves out “like libations,” as St. Paul would write, to keep the faith and for the sake of God’s kingdom? Have we given out of our excess to those in need, and not
simply fulfilled the minimum tithing obligations that God has laid out for us in scripture? It is tempting to give the minimum, to do the minimum, but as Catholics we are called to aim higher, to give of ourselves and our resource without counting the cost. Imitating God in his generosity, we will store up great treasures in Heaven for eternal life.