30th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sirach 35:12–14, 16–18
Psalm 34:2–3, 17–18, 19, 23
2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18
Luke 18:9–14
What does it take to enter the heart of another? How do we enter the heart of God?
God answers this question through the Scriptures on the divine side of the equation. “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” To be heard on high, we must be empty of our attachments. To see as God sees is wisdom. To hear with the heart of God is to make a connection at the deepest level possible.
We are not adept at hearing in our time. Our minds and hearts are too full of answers, ideas, our way of doing things. We are not ready to be empty to receive what God wants to offer us. This is sad. As Mame put it (a bit cleaned up for polite company): “Life is a banquet, and most (of us) are starving to death!”
Prayer has the capacity to “pierce the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right.” However, it is only the “prayer of the lowly” that can do this. God alone is God, and an encounter with God requires humility and openness.
Jesus tells the parable of the two who went to the temple to pray. One is a “master pray-er,” an expert in prayer, who knows the law and is convinced that his prayer will be heard. The other is a humble sinner who has no pretensions. Much to everyone’s surprise, Jesus affirms that only the one who was aware of his lowly state went home with a real relationship with God.
The description of the first one to pray makes it clear: “The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, . . .’” In claiming “his place,” the Pharisee did not realize the truth of his own need. In praying “to himself,” he failed to look to God. In other words, by his judgments, he pretended to be God. God, Who knows the heart, heard the prayer of the humble sinner.
How are we to put real prayer into practice? We must listen. We must hear the cry of the hearts of those around us who are truly in need. This calls for discernment. It is not a matter of merely trying to meet material needs. The greater hunger in our time is the hunger for real connection and for spiritual food. We do not have to go far to discover this need. It is in front of us all the time.
Who knows your heart and your need? Have you found a way to be empty of your desire to “look good” in the face of others? Can you set aside your worries about what other people think about you? Have you ever allowed God into your heart, speaking not out of your accomplishments and the praise of the world, but out of your need for God to help you to be the poor one seeking mercy?
The prayer of the tax collector, hated by all, is simple: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Such a prayer indeed pierces the clouds and is given what it seeks. Jesus affirms: “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Lord hears our cry if we become poor and humble. May we pray with sincerity and open our hearts to those entrusted to our care.