Coming Before God In Humility ~ by Ronnie Archer

All three readings today emphasize "Humility". God is a just God who knows no favorites though not unduly partial, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed, the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds, the Lord will not delay. (Sirach 35: 12, 13 & 19).

In the second reading St. Paul writes to Timothy, "the time of his departure is near, he has competed well, has finished the race, and kept the faith."

Everyone should have the desire to be like St. Paul. This is what we are asked to live...faith...put to the test every day of our lives. Can we say that we can do this? To be able to do this, we need to establish a prayer relationship between us and God. The best form of prayer is humility. We should come before God with complete humility. The one who exposes himself before God is saintly; one who tries to hide himself, is not.

In today's Gospel of Luke, we hear the parable of the self-righteous Pharisee, who exalted himself while praying; while the tax collector humbled himself and stood at a distance, beating his breast, acknowledging that he was a sinner, asking God to be merciful to him. Once again, we are reminded of the sin of omission... the Pharisee, not being humble.

We come to church, not to receive favor from God, but to be reconciled with Him. All are welcome, but how many of us go to church and leave with a changed heart?

We should humble ourselves, asking God for mercy, never losing heart, having faith to believe that our prayer has already been answered. Pray... "Lord Jesus Christ, Have Pity On Me."

Everyone in the Bible who MET Jesus, rejoiced!

~ Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~

~ Image by Hermano Leon Clipart