To watch Fr. Joe’s homily from the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: CLICK HERE!
There are many ways to pray and today, storyteller Jesus shares with us two people who pray in very different ways. The Pharisee’s prayer is “all about me” I, I, I…. If we would have to guess, his name it might be Narcissus. The Pharisee, did not seem to ask for or want God’s help.
And then there is the Tax Collector… He readily admits he needs God’s help and is open to receive what God wants to give. He stands in the back of church, the temple, and he comes to God as himself, praying for mercy and ready to accept it.
So here we are, Sunday morning, and what is our prayer today? I am sure our prayers are many, as to be expected. And, I am sure, much like the Tax Collector, we come with humility before God. And of course when we come to church, to Mass each weekend, our prayer, it seems to me, that we must come to church (to God) with the prayer for open minds and hearts and souls that are open to receive what God wants to give us for not only our journey of life, but of faith.
Who has not heard or maybe even said that church is boring… translation – God is boring.
God is not boring… Maybe we need to have as they say, “A check up from the neck up…”
Being Christian, being Catholic is a way of life… Not something we do to get it done. I doubt that Jesus suffered, died and arose (and gifted us with eternal life) not as something on the list to be checked off, but rather it was done with great love.
Often what we see lacking in our world today is zeal, passion, and commitment in many areas of life, including our life of faith. It is not that we do not have faith… Often we do not even try to live our faith…
I often think if Jesus was preaching today, what would he be saying to us? (I am not sure we really want to know…)
But he does speak to us every weekend at Mass. What are we hearing, what should we be hearing, and how much more can we live lives of faith daily?
Our lives speak much about what we believe, what is important. What are our lives saying about us, including our lives of faith?
Let me end with this quote as something to consider, “the way you live your life will be affecting people for generations to come until the end of time.”
What story are you telling with your life?