Dear Parishioners and Friends,
In two of our readings this weekend we hear the words “righteous” or “righteousness.”The first means being morally right, just or upright; it can also be used in a slang manner to mean excellent or genuine. As Grace, Mr. Rooney’s secretary in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” said of Ferris: “They think he’s a righteous dude.”There is also righteous indignation, which is anger that is considered to be justified, usually as a response to a perceived injustice.
Righteousness is a state or quality of being righteous, which can refer to a moral standard, or being in a right relationship with God. St. Paul, in his closing lines to Timothy, says: “From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day…” But doesn’t Paul sound a bit self-righteous, a bit presumptuous? Even arrogant? Perhaps, but I think he was trying to encourage Timothy not to give up his efforts at spreading the Gospel, and those efforts were worth any suffering.
The Gospel today is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector who both go to the temple to pray. However, they take drastically different postures and approaches to their prayers. One boasts of his accomplishments while the other beats his breast over his sins, begging God to be merciful.
As is often the case in parables, the characters are a bit exaggerated in order to make a point. Such is the case, I believe, in today’s parable. It helps to maintain a healthy and realistic view of oneself. The Pharisee’s intense pride and the tax collector’s groveling penitence are not how God wishes us to see ourselves. Benjamin Franklin’s take on self-perception is worth a read: “There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.”
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor
