THE PHARISEE AND A TAX COLLECTOR (Luke 18)

OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD.

The Lord's prayer: "YOUR WILL BE DONE".
His will not ours! His ways are not always Ours. Prayer to know and carry out God's will makes us partners with Him and that gives us freedom. It could bring pain and suffering, but  then God did not spare His own Son.
Most of us are too self-centred. We want what we want and forget the rest: It is reflected in the community. Self-interest groups are booming and service clubs are struggling. Many break down under the pressure of wanting more, to the point where the relief of stress is a major industry. The promise of Jesus to reward an unselfish life, 10, 20 or even 100- fold is taken lightly. It could be that his promise did not refer to material things.
Our prayer, our faith, is not meant to be an insurance policy. Doing all the 'right' things will not force God into a corner.
His ways are not ours. Just as well, as if He acted like us He would punish us at every false step. He still continues to love us, no matter what happens. Harder even to swallow is that He even loves those who hurt us.
St Luke's Gospel tells a story of a Pharisee and a tax collector.
The Pharisee seemed a fair enough type. He kept the law, he even doubled up in some things. He prayed and he fasted; but, in the story, Jesus was not happy with him. This 'good' man had things the wrong way around. Instead of God's being the centre of his life, he was the centre of his own life and he expected God to come to the party. Al the good things he did were not to serve God, but to benefit himself. He felt God owed him a debt of gratitude. This man loved himself. He failed to admit that all good things came from God. Even worse, he compared himself with the tax collector.
But is the Pharisee all that different from many of us? We are inclided to the Pharisee ideal, yet Jesus praised the tax collector - He admitted  his sinfulness and God loved him. He knew  his state, he knew he couldn't change by himself and so he cried: 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner'. (In the Family, Fr. Kevin Ryan).

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