Happy 2nd Anniversary!

 

"The Good Heart" is still beating after two years!

I've noticed on a lot of blogs that things seem to fizzle out around two or so years after beginning, and the writing is discontinued. With our blog, I'm feeling as good about it as when we started in 2008, in fact, even better! I suspect we're a little off the online beaten path, but indications are that there's sufficient interest still. I don't get a lot of feedback, but enough to assure me that the blog is worthwhile to folks. So, onward and upward into the third year! Many thanks to all of you who've vocalized/e-mailed your support!

Caring For the Dead

My neighbor is currently taking care of his mother's Alaskan Husky dog while she's travelling. It's a magnificently beautiful beast! What amazes me is that I've rarely heard it bark. But at various times of the day or night, presumably because of loneliness, it does what I can only describe as "keening": a soft, drawn-out mournful, longing sound. It's actually quite touching, and certainly puts me in mind today, Dia de los Muertos, of all the Holy Souls who've lived and died before us. The keening well expresses my mood today as I think about beloved family members and dear friends who have gone on beyond.

I used the Roman Catholic Office of Matins today, and got a good dose of how the great St. Augustine felt about the dead and am happy to share it with you. This is a small section from his treatise On The Care To Be Had For the Dead:

"The embalming of a corpse, the situation of the tomb, the funeral procession, are a consolation to the living rather than assistance to the dead. Yet it does not follow that the bodies of the dead are to be neglected or flung aside, especially not the bodies of holy and faithful persons, since these bodies were once the instruments and vessels used hallowedly by these souls to do all their good works. A father's ring, his robe, or some other belonging is dear to those left behind in proportion to the affection borne towards this parent. The bodies of the dead are not to be uncared for in any way, since these bodies are dearer and nearer to us than any garment. These bodies are not ornaments or aids applied from without: they are of human nature itself. Therefore, in ancient days, the funerals of just persons were arranged with holy attention; their obsequies fittingly celebrated, their tombs prepared. Such people while still alive gave strict instructions to their children about the way they were to be buried, or where their bodies were to be carried and entombed.


Remembrance and prayers for the dead are signs of true affection when they are offered for the departed ones by the faithful most dear to them. There can be no doubt but that these prayers help after life those souls who, while alive, merited them. Should some emergency prevent the bodies of the dead from being buried at all, should lack of facilities hinder them from resting in a holy place, prayers for the souls of these dead should not be neglected. The Church has taken upon herself, as an obligation, prayers for the dead; for all the dead who have died in the Christian and catholic fellowship, mentioning them not by name, but under a general commemoration. Those who lack parents, sons and daughters, kindred or friends have the benefits of these offices provided for them by the one holy Mother, common to us all. But if these suffrages for the dead, offered with faith and piety were lacking, I doubt whether it would profit these souls one iota, no matter how holy might be the places where the lifeless bodies were laid.


Since this is so, let us reflect that nothing we do for the dead whom we love matters to them, except what we solemnly supplicate for them through the Sacrifice of the altar, or through prayers and almsgiving. Yet, these prayers do not benefit all for whom they are offered, but those only who, while alive, merited that they should be benefited after death. But since we cannot know who these dead may be, it is proper to pray for all regenerate souls, lest there be forgotten one soul these benefits should and ought to reach. It is better that these suffrages be offered, even though offered in vain for those they can neither hinder nor help, than left undone for those they might have helped. Most people, however, do these things meticulously for each of his or her own near and dear friends, in the hope that his or her friends may do the same in his or her behalf. The care bestowed upon the burial of the body is no aid to salvation. It is merely an act of humanity regulated by affection, for 'no one hates their own flesh'. It is most proper that one should care for one's neighbor's corpse as best one can. If these offices are paid to the dead, even by those who do not believe in the resurrection of the body, how much more should they be paid by those who do believe in the resurrection on the last day. Thus these duties toward a body which, although dead, is destined to rise again and to live throughout eternity, are, in a way, a testimony of faith in that belief." 

Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life: Give to your

whole Church in paradise and on earth your light and your

peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of

those who have served you here and are now at rest, may at

the last enter with them into your unending joy; through

Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the

unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

"Surrounded By So Great A Cloud of Witnesses..."

"You'd better be nice to all the saints today...they're going to have a say in where you sit in the heavenly bleachers." My friend, Fr. Leo Joseph, and I were bantering again this morning on the phone. He jokingly replied: "At those heavenly liturgies I'll probably be back in the sacristy, ironing linens!" Being able to share such humor, even in the midst of our anticipation of Leo's "going home" soon because of advanced cancer, is quite refreshing. The theology and reality of the Communion of the Saints is increasingly dear to my heart and soul as I, too, look ahead to the experience of human death. It's one teaching which evokes for me a tremendous hope of joy in eternal life beyond. I look, with deepening anticipation, to being reunited with those whom I love and who have gone before me, as well as to being with (can you imagine?!) the many saints whom I've admired and communicated with by prayer through the years. The following piece by St. Bernard, taken from the Divine Office for the feast of All Saints, helps put this in perspective for me, and I wanted to share it.   

"Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning.

Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. We long to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the blessed, to join the assembly of patriarchs, the ranks of the prophets, the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble company of confessors and the choir of virgins. In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints. But our dispositions change. The Church of all the first followers of Christ awaits us, but we do nothing about it. The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent. The souls of the just await us, and we ignore them.

Come, let us at length spur ourselves on. We must rise again with Christ, we must seek the world which is above and set our mind on the things of heaven. Let us long for those who are longing for us, hasten to those who are waiting for us, and ask those who look for our coming to intercede for us. We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their happiness. While we desire to be in their company, we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no danger in setting our hearts on such glory.

When we commemorate the saints we are inflamed with another yearning: that Christ our life may also appear to us as he appeared to them and that we may one day share in his glory. Until then we see him, not as he is, but as he became for our sake. He is our head, crowned, not with glory, but with the thorns of our sins. As members of that head, crowned with thorns, we should be ashamed to live in luxury; his purple robes are a mockery rather than an honor. When Christ comes again, his death shall no longer be proclaimed, and we shall know that we also have died, and that our life is hidden with him. The glorious head of the Church will appear and his glorified members will shine in splendor with him, when he forms this lowly body anew into such glory as belongs to himself, its head.

Therefore, we should aim at attaining this glory with a wholehearted and prudent desire. That we may rightly hope and strive for such blessedness, we must above all seek the prayers of the saints. Thus, what is beyond our own powers to obtain will be granted through their intercession."

 (From a sermon by St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Sermo 2: Opera omnia)

Seeking the One Seeking Me

Zacchaeus, in Greek, Ζακχαῖος = Zakchaios, from the Hebrew meaning pure, was, Luke tells us (19:1-10), a superintendent of customs, a chief tax-gatherer = publicanus, at Jericho. Tax collectors were hated by many of their fellow Jews, both because of dishonesty in their profession and because they were seen as collaborators with the Roman Empire. Since Jericho was the center for a lucrative production and export of balsam, Zacchaeus' position would have made him both important and rich, which Luke also mentions.

A very popular children's song gives the main outline of Luke's story:

Zacchaeus was a wee little man
,

And a wee little man was he.


He climbed up in a sycamore tree,


For the Lord he wanted to see
.

And as the Savior passed that way


He looked up in that tree


And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!


For I’m going to your house today,

For I’m going to your house to stay”

Notice that Luke's account begins by purposefully telling us the "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it..." Jesus' ultimate destination, as Luke emphasizes all through the Gospel, is Jerusalem where, as we know, he will die at the hands of the Roman occupiers, egged on by Jewish religious leaders.

Luke describes Zacchaeus as "short in stature", short enough, apparently, that, along with his well-known professional position and wealth, it was a problem. In addition to that, for Zacchaeus to try to mingle in the crowd, even if it was up front where he could see, was fraught with danger. Predictably, you can guess that he would have had some enemies...on several counts. It wasn't unusual in his time for assassinations to be furtively carried out by sticking a knife into someone in the midst of a crowd. There were, in fact, people known as Sicarii, from the Latin word sicarius = dagger-man, or assassin, Jewish nationalists whose intent was to use a concealed dagger or sica to eliminate Romans from Judea in this way.

Luke says that Zacchaeus "ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree", which, by the way, bears no resemblance to the American sycamore. It was, instead, a variety of fig tree, similar to a mulberry tree. "Trying to see Jesus", Zacchaeus hovers there, camouflaged by the leaves. When Jesus reaches the spot, he stops and looks up into the branches, addressing Zacchaeus by name. Imagine what that must've felt like to a man accustomed to the usual scorn and derision, or worse, by his fellow-citizens. "Hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." Before Zacchaeus can think of anything to say, the onlooking crowd is utterly shocked! "What?!... he's gone to be the guest of a sinner!!", they grumble. Luke uses the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word used in Exodus when the people obstinately complain; grumble; murmur against God and Moses.

By contrast to the crowd, Zacchaeus "hurried down and was happy to welcome [Jesus]".  Zacchaeus then announces: “Look, Lord! half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” There's an ongoing discussion as to whether this represents Zacchaeus' intent, or whether he may have already done it. Whichever is the case, this resonates with the Hebrew Scriptures, in Exodus 22:1-15, which spells out the restitution which was required when one was responsible for the loss of another's property. Restitution ranges from straight replacement for negligence, increasing up to two, four or five times replacement for various thefts. Exodus 22:1 says, "When someone steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters or sells it, the thief shall pay...four sheep for a sheep...The thief shall make restitution..." King David also applied this rule in 2 Samuel 12:6 when he said, "And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."  Zacchaeus chooses a generous recompense. He places himself on the guilty side of the spectrum outlined in Exodus, and intends to begin anew in maximum obedience to God.

Seen by Jesus, personally named by Jesus, accepted unconditionally for who he is by Jesus, Zacchaeus himself is transformed by the touch of divine grace. "Today salvation has come to this house", says Jesus, "because he too is a son of Abraham..." The one who was despised and ostracized. The one who was lost. The one whom Jesus came to seek out. The one has been recognized, acknowledged, found by divine mercy.

In the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches, the Gospel account of Zacchaeus is read on the last Sunday preceding the liturgical preparation for Great Lent, and thus is known as "Zacchaeus Sunday." It was chosen to open the Lenten season in order to highlight two things: God's calling us to humility, represented in Jesus' call to Zacchaeus to come down from the tree; and God's calling us to repentance, exemplified by Zacchaeus' actions.

Many see the story of Zacchaeus as illustrating Jesus' words: "Blessed are the pure of heart, For they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). Zacchaeus whose name means pure, climbed up a tree, similar to the cross, and was symbolically crucified with Christ, enabling him to see God in Jesus.

An old hymn, in the following verses, gives you and me much to reflect on and pray about this week:

I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew / 

he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me. / 

It was not I that found, O Savior true; / 

no, I was found of thee.

Bishop James Hannington & His Companions

Martyrs of Uganda

When Christian missionaries, Anglican and Catholic, arrived in Buganda, it was a turning point in the religious life of the people, as well as in the political structure of the kingdom and surrounding area. All aspects of the people's lives were transformed, and, as all forms of change, brought along dislocation and discomfort. In 1884, just a few years after the arrival of the missionaries, the kingdom new ruler was Mwanga II, a youth whose ruling style was far different from that of his late father, Mutesa, particularly as it related to foreigners.

Mutesa's handled conflicting forces which impacted his court with great wisdom. The Muslim Arabs, the French or Bafaransa, as they were locally called, Catholics, and the English, or Bangereza, Protestants operated not without constraint, but with some minimal success during his reign. Mutesa allowed his people of all ranks to join any creed of their choice. The Arabs, having seen the Christian missionaries' efforts to convert the locals, also diligently started teaching Islam. As expected, a competitive struggle ensued among the preachers of the new creeds, each attempting to wield more influence and recognition among Mutesa's most influential royal court officials.  Mutesa himself never committed to any particular creed. The Muslims denounced him for his refusal to be circumcised, and he couldn't be baptized as a Christian because he refused to give up polygamy.

Christianity was received with great enthusiasm by the converts, but it required heavy demands from them: denouncing all native religious behavior and practices as heathen and satanic. One's commitment to Christianity was also a commitment to set aside the old lifestyle, adopt new alliances, adjust to new moral and religious standards, adherence, and allegiance. New Christian believers, called abasomi = readers, were thus seen as "rebels", people who had transferred their loyalty to new religious systems while abandoning old tribal traditions.

As a young prince, Mwanga had shown some respect for the missionaries, but once he became king his attitude changed. Instead of supporting missionary efforts, Mwanga now became an intolerant and vicious persecutor of Christians and of all foreigners. He was alarmed, with good cause, that the powers and authority his predecessors had enjoyed were dwindling, and that they were virtually disintegrating under the influence of the missionaries and their converts. He could no longer count on their allegiance at all costs.  The ultimate humiliation for Mwanga was the "insolence" he received from the pages when they,  the least subservient of servants,  resisted his homosexual advances. The old Bagandan tradition viewed the king as the center of power and authority. He was free to dispense with anyone's life as he felt, hence the old saying "The queen ant feeds on her subjects". Although homosexuality is abhorred among the Baganda, it was unheard of for mere pages to reject the any of the king's wishes. Mwanga, therefore, was determined to rid his kingdom of the "new" teaching and its followers.

Within a year of Mwanga's becoming king, he ordered the execution of the first three Christian martyrs, who were killed at Busega Natete on January 31, 1885. In October of 1885 Anglican Bishop James Hannington, recently dispatched to head Eastern Equatorial Africa, headquartered in Buganda, was murdered at Busoga on his way to Buganda, upon Mwanga's orders. Hannington's crime was to attempt to come to Buganda through Busoga, a shorter route than that employed by earlier visitors who took the route from south of Lake Victoria. Buganda's kings regarded Busoga as a backdoor to Buganda and thought that any one coming through the backdoor must certainly have evil intentions towards the kingdom.

Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, a senior advisor to the king and a Catholic convert, condemned Mwanga for ordering Hannington's death without even giving Hannington a chance to defend himself, as was customary. Mwanga was so annoyed that Mukasa would question his actions that he had him arrested and killed. On November 15, 1885, Mukasa became the first Catholic martyr, beheaded at Nakivubo. Between December, 1885 and May, 1886 many more converts were wantonly murdered. Mwanga engineered a showdown in May by ordering converts to choose between their new faith and complete obedience to his orders. Those who were unwilling would be subject to death. Courageously, the new converts chose their faith. The execution of twenty six Christians at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, was the climax of the campaign against the converts. The last person killed in the crusade was Jean-Marie Muzeeyi, beheaded at Mengo on January 27, 1887. The list of forty five known Catholic and Protestant martyrs which follows includes only those who could be formally accounted for. Many more murders went unreported and were not recorded.

1 Kakumba, Makko      Buganda Ffumbe       Anglican       Jan 31, 1885   Busega   Dismembered and Burned
2 Rugarama, Yusuf       Ankole                        Anglican       Jan 31, 1885  Busega   Dismembered and Burned
3 Sserwanga, Nuwa      Buganda Ngeye          Anglican       Jan 31, 1885  Busega   Dismembered and Burned
4 Balikuddembe, Yosefu Mukasa  Buganda Kayozi  Catholic  Nov 15, 1885   Nakivubo   Beheaded and Burned
5 Mukasa, Musa           Buganda Ffumbe        Anglican        May 25, 1886   Munyonyo   Speared
6 Kaggwa, Anderea     Bunyoro                      Catholic         May 26, 1886   Munyonyo   Beheaded
7 Ngondwe, Ponsiano  Buganda Nnyonyi Nnyange  Catholic  May 26, 1886  Ttakajjunge  Beheaded and Dismembered
8 Ssebuggwawo, Denis  Buganda Musu         Catholic         May 26, 1886   Munyonyo   Beheaded
9 Bazzekuketta, Antanansio  Buganda Nkima  Catholic       May 27, 1886   Nakivubo    Dismembered
10 Gonza, Gonzaga  Busoga Mpologoma      Catholic          May 27, 1886   Lubowa      Beheaded
11 Mbwa, Eriya          Buganda Ndiga           Anglican         May 27, 1886   Mengo        Castrated
12 Muddu-aguma                                           Anglican         May 27, 1886   Mengo        Castrated
13 Mulumba, Matiya Busoga Lugave            Catholic          May 27, 1886   Old Kampala Dismembered
14 Muwanga, Daudi   Buganda Ngonge        Anglican                                   Namanve    Castrated
15 Kayizzi, Kibuuka  Buganda Mmamba      Anglican         May 31, 1886   Mityana      Castrated
16 Mawaggali, Nowa Buganda Ngabi           Catholic          May 31, 1886   Mityana      Speared, Ravaged by wild dogs
17 Mayanja, Kitoogo Buganda Ffumbe        Anglican         May 31, 1886    Mityana      Castrated
18 Muwanga              Buganda Nvuma        Anglican          May 31, 1886    Mityana      Castrated
19 Lwanga, Karoli     Buganda Ngabi          Catholic           June 3, 1886      Namugongo   Burned
20 Baanabakintu, Lukka  Buganda Mmamba  Catholic       June 3, 1886      Namugongo   Burned
21 Buuzabalyawo, Yakobo  Buganda Ngeye  Catholic        June 3, 1886      Namugongo   Burned
22 Gyaviira  Buganda Mmamba                  Catholic           June 3, 1886      Namugongo   Burned
23 Kibuuka, Ambrosio  Buganda Lugave   Catholic           June 3, 1886      Namugongo   Burned
24 Kiriggwajjo, Anatoli  Bunyoro               Catholic           June 3, 1886     Namugongo    Burned
25 Kiriwawanvu, Mukasa  Buganda Ndiga  Catholic          June 3, 1886     Namugongo    Burned
26 Kiwanuka, Achileo  Buganda Lugave    Catholic           June 3, 1886     Namugongo    Burned
27 Kizito  Buganda Mmamba                      Catholic           June 3, 1886     Namugongo    Burned
28 Ludigo, Mukasa  Adolofu Toro              Catholic           June 3, 1886     Namugongo    Burned
29 Mugagga  Buganda Ngo                         Catholic           June 3, 1886     Namugongo    Burned
30 Sserunkuuma, Bruno  Buganda Ndiga   Catholic           June 3, 1886      Namugongo    Burned
31 Tuzinde, Mbaga  Buganda Mmamba     Catholic           June 3, 1886      Namugongo    Burned
32 Kadoko, Alexanda  Buganda Ndiga      Anglican          June 3, 1886      Namugongo     Burned
33 Kifamunnyanja  Buganda                      Anglican          June 3, 1886      Namugongo     Burned
34 Kiwanuka, Giyaza  Buganda Mpeewo  Anglican          June 3, 1886      Namugongo     Burned
35 Kizza, Frederick  Buganda Ngabi         Anglican          June 3, 1886      Namugongo     Burned
36 Kwabafu  Buganda Mmamba               Anglican          June 3, 1886      Namugongo      Burned
37 Lwakisiga, Mukasa  Buganda Ngabi    Anglican          June 3, 1886      Namugongo     Burned
38 Lwanga  Buganda                                 Anglican          June 3, 1886      Namugongo     Burned
39 Mubi-azaalwa  Buganda Mbwa           Anglican           June 3, 1886      Namugongo     Burned
40 Munyagabyangu, Robert  Buganda Mmamba  Anglican  June 3, 1886  Namugongo     Burned
41 Muwanga, Njigija  Buganda                Anglican           June 3, 1886      Namugongo     Burned
42 Nakabandwa, Danieri  Buganda Mmamba  Anglican   June 3, 1886     Namugongo      Burned
43 Walukagga, Nuwa  Buganda Kasimba  Anglican          June 3, 1886    Namugongo      Burned
44 Wasswa       Buganda Mmamba           Anglican           June 3, 1886    Namugongo       Burned
45 Muzeeyi, Jean-Marie  Buganda Mbogo  Catholic         Jan 27, 1887    Mengo               Beheaded

Because of Mwanga's crusade to curb Christian influence and to regain the traditional and customary powers and authorities over his subjects, the situation became extremely chaotic. In the north Kabarega, king of Bunyoro Kitara, a traditional arch enemy of Buganda was fighting off the pending invasion from the Khedive of Egypt, yet keeping his eye on Buganda.  Further south the Germans were purportedly annexing territories in what is now Tanzania. Mwanga felt caught and threatened. Along with his suspicion of the missionaries, Buganda also was experiencing internal strife. The Muslims were plotting to overthrow Mwanga and replace him. Political upheavals combined with religious instability to drain the country's moral stamina. It seemed that everyone was fighting against everyone else. In the midst of the civil strife, Mwanga was briefly deposed, though he regained the throne later.

 Catholic Basilica of the Martyrs of Uganda, Namungongo

Rather than deter the growth of Christianity, the martyrdom of these early believers, as happened so often in the past, seems to have been the seed of faith. Christianity, in its variety of expressions, is now the dominant faith in Buganda and Uganda as a whole. The 22 known Catholic martyrs were declared "Blessed" by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, and canonized as saints of the universal Church by Pope Paul VI on October 18, 1964, during the 2nd Vatican Council. This was a first for modern Africa and a source of great pride throughout the continent.

October 28 - SS. Simon and Jude, Apostles

 

O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, 

and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and

we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, 

so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy 

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns 

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Christ: The C-Major of This Life

I once read the
comment of an unnamed poet who described Christ as “the C-major of this life”. C-major, as I understand it, is often thought of as the simplest key, owing to its lack of either sharps or flats. Beginning piano students' very first pieces are usually very simple ones in this key, and the first lesson at the piano is usually to learn to find middle C or C-major, since it’s the reference point from which everything else proceeds. On the other hand, as a side note, the immortal Frédéric Chopin regarded this scale as the most difficult one to play with complete evenness, so he tended to give it last to his students. He regarded B-major as the easiest scale to play on the piano, because the position of the black and white notes best fitted the natural positions of the fingers, so he often had students start with this scale.

Unless God, in Jesus the Christ, is the C-major (or B-major, for you Chopin enthusiasts!) of our life, our point of reference, everything else will be in disharmony and dissonance. Luke’s Gospel today (Luke 18:9-14) has much about which to teach us in this regard.

At the top of the pages of your Bible for Luke’s parable of the Pharisee and the publican, I think there ought to be a warning: “The Preacher General has determined that this parable can be dangerous to your religious self-esteem!” A parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, “thrown alongside”, as the Greek implies, a real-life situation so as to elicit a decision from the hearer. In this case, Luke says that “Jesus...told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt…” Now, engaged as all of us in the U.S. are at this election time, and, I might add, given the status of the Anglican Communion today, particularly in regard to the Episcopal Church, I hope you won’t find it too shocking or puzzling that human beings might engage in such behavior! We’re all more than familiar with the self-righteousness that credits oneself, rather than God, for one’s religious status before God. None of us are strangers to the age-old sin of idolatry, of trying to install ourselves in God’s place.

Jesus’ parable begins with two men who go to pray in the temple: a Pharisee [from perushim = the ones set apart], who belonged to a group which at various times was a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought; and a publican [from publicanus/publicani = public contractors, including tax collectors for the Romans.

The Pharisee stood and prayed in a prominent position. He addresses the Almighty with gratitude that he’s avoided becoming like so many others in his society: “thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector”, whom he apparently noticed in the back of the temple. He reviews for God his religious practices: voluntarily fasting twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, this in addition to the only prescribed fast, on Yom Kippur each year. He’s also paid tithes on all his income, a signal act of voluntary self-denial.

The “kicker” of the story is that everything this Pharisee claims for himself is good, and by-the-book! Though they were lay people, the Pharisees took upon themselves the law of priestly purity in order to become holy, as God expected Israel to become. So, one could argue that the Pharisee had reason to pride himself on being faithful and devoted, on being “right” with God.

The kind of prayer offered by the Pharisee wasn’t unusual, if you look at the 1st century Talmud, i.e., the teaching, the instruction of Judaism, contained in the collection of rabbinic discussions on all sorts of legal and religious issues. The Pharisee was aware that he owed everything to God. Notice that his prayer is a thanksgiving, not a petition. But notice also that his reference point isn’t God at all, but himself.

In Jesus’ culture, the customs taxes of a district were farmed out to the highest bidder for a fixed annual sum. Tax collectors, publicani, or publicans, often made handsome profits, since the fixed sum they were to pay to the State was lower than the actual revenues they often collected. People of the Near East despised tax collectors, not only because of the abuses of dishonesty, but mainly because these publicans were collaborators with the hated Romans, and thus worked against their own people’s welfare.

The publican in Luke’s story stands “far off”. He won’t even lift his eyes, but rather beats his breast in an expression of deepest contrition. As a publican, he was in a rather hopeless, almost despairing, situation. If he were to follow sincere repentance to its logical consequences, he would 1) abandon his profession; 2) make restitution of any fraudulent gains; and even add on an additional 15-20%, though it would’ve been well nigh impossible for this man to remember all those with whom he’d dealt in past years.

We sense that the publican’s plea for mercy, though not entirely confident, is certainly honest: it comes from deep within his soul. Though we have no way of knowing how it came to be, it’s apparent that God had become this man’s reference point, and a new beginning is already taking shape in him.

Luke concludes the story by commenting that “...this man went down to his home justified rather than the other…” He went home as one to whom God’s gracious favor was generously extended. Luke conveys the very exclusive way in which the publican was now “right” with God, whereas the Pharisee was not. That undoubtedly shocked Jesus’ hearers. The Pharisee couldn’t be faulted, at least technically. Surely Jesus’ judgment on him is unduly harsh and unfair, they might have said! And what had the publican done, really, but simply say “I’m sorry”? Is God’s righteousness and mercy that cheap?

God’s judgment and mercy are but two sides of the same coin. In the parable, judgment is given for the sake of mercy. Judgment serves the purposes of God’s favor and seeks to welcome into God’s mercy all who can accept God’s favor by casting aside any pretentiousness to their own goodness. I become healed of my separation from God, which is ultimately what sin is, when I acknowledge God as the reference point of my life and confess the self-absorption which puts distance between God and me.

Also, acknowledging and confessing my sin isn’t, in itself, the “good work” which makes me acceptable to God. My confession of sin acknowledges that there isn’t anything which I, of myself, can do to become acceptable. It’s Jesus, crucified and risen, who has already bridged the gap between God and me. All that stands between us and God who saves is our resistance, our unwillingness, to accept that bridging, done despite us, and without the help of our own virtue.

If I’m honest with myself, I’m far too ready to identify with the publican and with his humility. Blessing, rightly, goes to the “good guy”, right? And can there be any question that you and I are that?! After all, we spend a lot of time in this church, or in a church, don’t we?! If we’re brutally honest, might not our secret prayer be, “I thank you, God, that I’m not like that proud Pharisee”?

In the moment that we think such thoughts, we become aware that we’ve be “had”: Jesus’ parable has done its work, because we’re forced to look into the mirror of our own self-righteousness and to see what we’d rather not see. “I thank you, God, that I’m not like that Pharisee.” You and I can fill in for the word “Pharisee” whatever applies in our life:
- that person who’s different from me: philosophically, politically, physically, racially, gender orientationally, etc.;
- that person who’s more successful than I, or smarter, or more talented, or more popular, or who has more Facebook friends than I;
- that person who doesn’t measure up to my spiritual, doctrinal or moral standards;
- that person whose viewpoints and convictions just don’t jibe with mine.

There’s a poem which I was given on a card many years ago, which, I think, is good medicine for the unhealthy Pharisee lurking in each of us:

There’s so much that’s good in the worst of us;

So much that’s bad in the best of us.

It doesn’t behoove any of us

To talk about the rest of us.

With Christ as the C-major of our lives, you and I can honestly pray with the Psalmist (Ps 65) today:

You are to be praised, O God…

To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come,

Because of their transgressions.

Our sins are stronger than we are,

But you will blot them out…

Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,

O God of our salvation…