We all have a choice

Last Sunday’s Gospel is one of my favourites.  The Pharisee and the Tax Collector is a great Gospel read with a wonderful message.   Like many of Jesus’ stories it always has a message to do with CHOICE.

The choice in this story is whether we allow the Eucharist to affect us and change us or whether we tick the box of having done our so called duty.  

The Pharisee did what he had to do and was probably more contented in knowing others saw him who were sitting in the temple.  On the other hand the poor tax collector was present to his heart and in humility and asked the Lord for mercy.

When we come to share in the Eucharist we are invited to open our hearts to receive the graces God has for us.  Being present in this case is not about patting ourselves on the back as if we are superior to others.

This Gospel is a wonderful Gospel to stop us in our tracks and to assess our motives for why we live the Christian life.

Perhaps these quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Monk, will help us reflect further on this short but incredibly insightful Gospel.

‘If you are not yet able to love yourself, you will not be able to love your enemy. But when you are able to love yourself, you can love anyone. When you do this, you will see that your so called enemy is not more or less than a human being who is suffering.’

‘When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.’

‘Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.’

‘To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.’

‘Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.’

‘When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change’

‘Many people think excitement is happiness.... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.’

‘Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions - we cannot be free.’
 

‘Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.’

‘Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.’
 

‘Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.’

In conclusion, after reflecting, which person are we in this Gospel passage?
 

Are we the Pharisee in this Gospel?

Are we the Tax collector in this Gospel?

Or, are we both?

Edward Dooley (Mission and Faith Leader)