Dominica X Post Pentecosten: "Self-righteousness"

 

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke

Luke 18:9-14
At that time: Jesus spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the Temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. And so on.

Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
Serm 36 of the Word of the Lord
"The Pharisee might at least have said: "I am not as many men are." But what meaneth "other men"? All other men except himself. "I," said he, "am righteous; others are sinners." "I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers," and then he took occasion, from the neighborhood of the publican, to plume himself "or even," quoth he, "as this publican." "I am alone," he thought, "that publican" is one of the others. Mine own righteousness maketh the gulf between me and the wicked, such as he is."

I once worked on active duty in the military with a young, fundamentalist ex-Catholic Marine officer who refused to pray the "Our Father". Can you imagine? However, he had the most self-righteous of reasons: he did not want to repeat himself, thus violating Scripture. He refused, however, to entertain my objection that he was also violating the Lord's command imparted when He taught the prayer to His Apostles for the first time: "when you pray, say..."

My fellow officer was puffed up with the certainty of his own righteousness before God while at the same time violating the letter of the Lord's teaching, and I told him so. He was building on sand.

Our righteousness "must exceed that of the pharisees" and Sadducees, as our Lord made clear. In order for that to happen we must rely not on ourselves, be "self-righteous". That unfortunately is what very quickly happens when we reject or refuse the humility necessary to obey the Magisterium in matters of faith and morals: what we believe, and what we do as a result.

Catholics happily pray the Our Father at every Mass, with the holy rosary and in numerous other contexts. We do so in obedience to the Lord who Himself gave us those words to utter in speaking to the heavenly Father. And, of course, we do not fear to offend God in doing so. This is for the reason that we depend wholly upon the righteousness of God, and not our own.

 “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6, 7-8)

We know that we do not violate the Lord's will in the previous injunction because He follows it immediately with the recommended alternative:

"Pray then like this: 'Our Father who art in heaven, ...'" (Mathhew 6, 9 ff)

We do what the Church does, pleasing Our heavenly Father, addressing Him with the words of His Incarnate Son. And we do so whenever we pray "the prayer Our Lord Himself taught us."

Collect
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O God, You manifest Your power, particularly in forbearance and pity, show us Your mercy again and again, so that hastening toward Your promises we may become partakers of the blessings of heaven.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Praised be Jesus Christ our King, now and forever.