THE MISSION OF CHRIST IS ONE OF HUMILITY AND PRAYER
The mission of Christ continues through our Christian vocation to witness to the Kingdom of God with humility and prayer. It is a mission where God calls the humble, the weak and the insignificant to shame the proud, strong and important.
Christ’s mission is the humble acceptance of the need for God in our lives. The admittance that we are naughty and God is all. The mission of God (Missio Dei) is the encouragement of God to us to be good on earth as followers of his Son Jesus Christ.
This is the mission of God, and we are just participants or collaborators. It is a prophetic mission to proclaim the grace, mercy, and peace of God. As well as it is a mission to denounce evil, injustice and oppression.
Equally, it is a mission to speak the truth without fear or favour of anyone. It is a mission within a hostile and volatile environment that could lead to rejection or indifference. The Christian life calls to be an encouragement to one another at all times and not belittle or despise anyone even the worse sinner. This is the mission entrusted to us by Christ himself. The readings of Mission Sunday convey a clear message about humility and prayer.
OUR THEME
Today, the readings are all about the need for humility when we pray. Without humility, we will not see a need for God’s mercy. The main theme of today’s Gospel is the evil of pride, arrogance and self-righteousness. It is also on the need for true humility and the role of God’s grace in our salvation.
At the same time reminding us that, true humility and repentance for our sins must be the hallmark of our prayers and relationship with God if we are to enjoy his favours and mercies. Remember, God always opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
FIRST READING: ECCLESIASTICUS 35:15-22
The first reading from the Book of Sirach teaches the same thing. Humility is the beginning of wisdom. A humble heart puts us on the level of the poor and needy to whom God always bends an ear.
Indeed, “the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High response”. This is a deep-rooted assurance of God towards, the humble, the oppressed, the weak and the defenceless like orphans and widows especially when they shout or cry to Him in their petitions or pains.
SECOND READING: 2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8, 16-18
St. Paul’s words to Timothy in the second reading are lovely. “I have competed well, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This seems to be a boastful or proud or bragging remark of spiritual excellence and victory. However, it was said with humility to also be a humble God.
Assuredly, Paul acclaimed, “I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” Here, St. Paul in his nothingness, emptiness and humility before God and his battle and fight of life against human frailty recognises the power, mercy and grace of God that delivered him from Lion´s mouth of eternal perdition to eternal life in Heaven.
God still saves the humble and the weak who abandon themselves to his grace to save. Let our pride be in God´s power, mercy and grace at work in us despite our human weaknesses. Here, the mission is all about the unmerited grace of God upon us.
THE GOSPEL: LUKE 18:9-14
In the gospel of Luke 18:9-14, Jesus presented his disciple with the humble way to seek God and obtain his mercy. Rather than, a self-righteous attitude, a religiosity without spirituality of the Pharisees.
Hence, Jesus cautions his disciple against pride, self-righteousness, arrogance before God and prejudice against others. Demonstrating the Pharisaic self-acclaimed prayer (of pride, arrogance, holier-than-thou attitude), and the humble publican whose position (stood at a distance from God), Posture (unwilling to lift his eyes), passion (beating his chest for recognition, acceptance or admittance of his guilt) and a plea (asking for God´s mercy, pardon and grace).
BASIC TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL AND A LIFE OF PRAYER
A. The Pharisee did not go to pray, he went to inform God how good he was with himself than others around him.
B. While the tax collector in his wretchedness recognised the need for the grace and mercy of God upon him. Prayer is total dependence on God.
C. No proud man can pray. There is a saying that the gate of heaven is so low that none can enter it save upon his knees.
D. No man who despises his fellow men can also pray. Prayer helps us to remember we are one army of sinning, suffering, and sorrowing humanity in need of God.
E. True prayer comes from setting our lives beside the life of God. God be merciful to me –the sinner.
TRUE MISSIONARY CHRISTIAN LIFE OF HUMILITY AND PRAYER
As Christians, we must avoid the modern pharisaic attitudes of magnifying others’ sins while minimizing or ignoring ours. The tendency to be quick to judge others without compassion. The haughty pride that limits us to admitting or apologizing for our faults. The projection of evil motives on others and the lacking spirit of humility to accept fraternal corrections.
At the same time, we must not allow others´ judgment or condemnation of us or our conscience to deny us of seeking God´s mercy and grace, that God is so angry with us that He cannot possibly forgive us.
We must acknowledge our sinfulness and entrust ourselves to the generous mercy of God which is bigger than any sins we might have committed. Finally, we promise God never to look down on our fellow sinners but to help them in their search for God.
LESSONS OF LIFE
1. The external religiosity of praying, fasting, tithing or going to church is not and will never be equal to the spirituality of interior humility and repentance to love, respect and appreciate God in others.
2. The Christian life is one of God´s mercy and grace, hence there is no need to be proud or boastful of what we are. Proverbs16:18, pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
3. many in the Church have no personal spiritual fulfilment because of arrogance and pride. They are miserable for want of recognition, position and self-righteousness.
4. The Christian life is not one of comparing one’s spiritual achievement with others who are struggling. Our spiritual history, formation, growth and development.
5. Genuine humility is simply recognising the essential truth about ourselves. It is honest self-appraisal, in God’s presence, with no pretences, masks or poses.
6. There is no bribe that we can offer to blot out our guilt. There is no pressure we can exert (as we might among ourselves) to gain the credit we do not deserve. Many today could destroy the Christian community out of haughty pride to learn or admit to the humble place in the church.
7. Pride is like a worm, destroying the apple at its core. Indeed, it turns us from speaking to God, to talking about himself. It also makes us not serve God, the Church and our brothers and sisters but ourselves.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, there is a growing tendency or temptation today as missionaries not to be only selfish with our time and energy with millions of plausible excuses to exclude ourselves from the work that needs to be done; but also to lord it over the evangelised or look down on them as less to us. Help us to learn from the Lord’s life and actions the willingness to serve freely, wholeheartedly and sacrificially – for doing good, bringing justice, healing, forgiveness and kindness into the people’s lives; as well as the effort of adaptation and inculturation to integrate the gospel into the lives of the local people. Amen!
