Daily Reflections- March 17, 2012

The Prayer that Pierces the Clouds

 

In the Gospel parable today, two people went up the Temple to pray. The prayer of the Pharisee did not reach God because it was not directed to Him in the first place. Although the Pharisee’s prayer began with “O God, I thank you,” it was a self-congratulatory litany of his perceived virtues. The tax collector, meanwhile, could not boast of even a single virtue. He could only mutter, as he beat his breast, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” The Gospel concluded by saying that he went home justified.

We can learn two things from this parable.

First, we catch God’s attention when we do things with sincerity. Sincerity comes from two Latin words: sine (without) and cera (wax). Literally, sincere means “without wax.” In the ancient times, actors who perform in big stages wore masks, usually made of wax, to project to a large audience the emotions they want to portray.

I remember the story of a man who went to heaven and was shown a vision of his home parish. He saw familiar faces: the priest delivering the homily, the choir singing, the congregation praising in unison. But he could not hear a thing. So he asked the Lord about it. The Lord said, “You see, we cannot hear them here, unless they speak from their hearts.”

Second, we catch God’s attention when we do things in humility. Humility is neither self-deprecation nor self-hate. We are not being humble when we ignore our gifts and talents. Pride and humility begin with an acknowledgment of one’s gifts and talents. Self-knowledge becomes pride when it is done in a spirit of isolation, not communion. To acknowledge one’s gifts and talents in a spirit of communion means to place my giftedness at the service of the common good. That way, one can never be proud because one begins to see himself as a servant. And service is kindred to humility.

Let Sirach’s admonition be our guide today. May our prayers and actions pierce the cloud and not rest till they reach their destination — the bosom of God! Fr. Joel Jason

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Can you honestly say that your prayers reach God because of your humility and sincerity?

 

Lord Jesus, help me to always pray from my heart.