Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18
The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint. The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. 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 responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay.
Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor. I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. The LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him. R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Beloved: 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. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Luke 18:9-14
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18
Sirach was promulgated approximately 180 years before Christ. It was written in Hebrew by a man named Ben Sira who was a Jewish person living in Jerusalem. Sirach gets its name from the transliteration of the name Sira into the Greek Sirach. The book was translated into Greek by Ben Sira’s grandson several years later.
Ben Sira was a well-educated Jew who dedicated his life to a study of the Law and the Prophets. He was a highly respected scribe and teacher, who ran an academy for young Jewish men.1 He was concerned with the growing Hellenistic influence on the people and in particular its negative influence on orthodox Jewish Religion. He viewed the influence as a dilution of authentic fidelity to Yahweh.
Sirach is a beautiful collection of wisdom and poetry. The original title in Hebrew was The Wisdom of Yeshua (Jesus) ben (son of) Eleazar ben Sira.2 Sirach begins “Praise of Wisdom. All wisdom comes from the Lord and with him it remains forever… Before all things else, wisdom was created, and prudent understanding from eternity. To whom has wisdom’s root been revealed? Who knows her subtleties? There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring, seated upon his throne: It is the Lord; he created her… He has poured her forth upon all his works.” (Sir 1: 1-8). In contrast with Greek philosophy which viewed wisdom as a human attribute flowing from with-in, Sirach reveals wisdom as a gift from God. God is the creator and the source of wisdom, and He chooses to pour out His wisdom upon creation. “With wisdom and knowledge, He fills them; good and evil He shows them.” (Sir 17: 6).
The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint. Similar verses are found in Deuteronomy. “For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.” (Deut 10: 17-18). The truth that God shows no partiality is repeated in The Book of Wisdom: “For the Lord shows no partiality.” (Wis 6: 7). (See also 2 Chr 19:17; Jb 34:19; Acts 10:34; Rom 2:11; Gal 2:6; 1 Pt 1:17). The Book of Exodus reminds us that God hears the cry of the orphan and the widow. “You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to Me, I will surely hear their cry.” (Ex 22: 21-22). Proverbs also warns of the mistreatment of orphans. “Remove not the ancient landmark, nor invade the fields of orphans; for their redeemer is strong; He will defend their cause against you.” (Prov 23: 10-11).
1. Brown, Fitzmyer, Murphy; The New Jerome Biblical Commentary; P.H.; Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; page 498.
2. Ibid.
Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23
Psalm 34 is an individual song of thanksgiving. It is titled Thanksgiving to God Who Delivers the Just in the NAB and Taste and See That the Lord is Good in the ESV. The setting of the compo-sition is revealed in verse one. “Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who forced him to depart.” (Ps 34: 1). Scholars suggest that this is a scribal error as David feigned madness before Achish. (See 1 Sam 21: 13-16).
The Lord hears the cry of the poor. The Hebrew word that is translated as Lord in this verse and throughout this psalm is Yahweh. The truth that God hears the cry of those in need is repeated throughout Sacred Scripture. Our pericope from Sirach this weekend is just one example. “The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.” (Sir 35: 12-14). Even the blood of Abel cried out to Yahweh from the ground. “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil.” (Gen 4: 10).
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. The Hebrew word that is translated as bless in this verse is barach. The word is most often translated as bless or blessing as it often describes an act of blessing. However, the root of the word means to kneel before or to offer praise. In that God has no need of our blessing, I suggest that it means to offer praise. This is supported by the second half of the verse. The Hebrew word that is translated here as praise is tehillah which means to offer a vocal expression as in song of praise and thanksgiving.
Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. The Hebrew word in this verse that is translated as soul is nepes. Nepes first appears in the creation story in Gen-esis. “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nos-trils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (hay nepes). The Hebrew word translated as glory is hillel. Hillel means to praise, eulogize, be boastful or quite literally to exclaim Halleluiah. The Hebrew word translated as lowly in this verse is anaw. Anaw liter-ally means bowed down. Some other common translations are poor, afflicted, humble, meek, weak and needy.
The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. The ESV offers a more literal translation of the first part of this verse. “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” The Prophet Amos describes the face of God against the ene-my. “Though they are led into captivity by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix my gaze upon them for evil, and not for good, I, the Lord God of hosts.” (Amos 9: 4).
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. The LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him. As the captives return from the Exile, the Prophet Isaiah speaks of the brokenhearted and the crushed in spirit. “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove the stumbling blocks from My people’s path. For thus says He who is high and exalted, living eternally, whose name is the Holy One: On high I dwell, and in holiness, and with the crushed and dejected in spirit, to revive the spirits of the dejected, and to revive the hearts that are crushed.” (Is 57: 14-16). In a verse that Jesus would later quote as a revelation of Himself, the Prophet Isaiah writes: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted…” (Is 61: 1).
2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
Second Timothy is the second of three Pastoral Letters, which consist of First and Second Timothy and Titus. There is some uncertainty as to time of composition and even author-ship. Some suggest authentic authorship of Paul with the assistance of a secretary to explain the difference in writing style from other letters known to be of Paul’s hand. Other scholars suggest a composition of Paul’s notes assembled at a later date. All of the above discussion is beyond the scope of this exegesis. It is the message from the inspired word of God that is important.
Timothy accompanied Paul on his second and third missionary journey. We know from the content of 2 Timothy that Paul is writing from prison. He is continuing to shepherd Timothy who is now shepherding the nascent Church.
2 Timothy seems to have been penned during Paul’s final imprisonment. “For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.” (2 Tim 4: 6). Paul is referring to his death, which he feels is immanent. He also shares his desire to die for the Lord in his Letter to the Philippians. “For me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.” (Phil 1: 21-24). Paul was condemned during the persecution of Nero. He was beheaded outside of Rome along the Ostian Way.
Immediately prior to our pericope today Paul is warning Timothy to beware of false teach-ers. “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so they also oppose the truth; people of depraved mind, unqualified in the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all, as it was with those two.” (2 Tim 3: 8-9). “But wicked peo-ple and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived.” (2 Tim 3: 13).
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Timothy learned the faith from his faithful grandmother and mother and later as a follower of Paul. From the age of five the pious Jew began to be taught in the Sacred Scriptures. The Greek word for wisdom in this verse is sophia. The Greek word for salvation is so-teria.
The Greek word for faith is pistis. The Greek word that is translated as faith is pistis. (See exegesis above). The word carries with it our common understanding of the word faith. It means a system of beliefs that we hold and profess. It means trust and confi-dence. It means loyalty, fidelity and assurance. As it is portrayed throughout Sacred Scripture it takes on an even deeper meaning. It connotes a deep, abiding, personal re-lationship of love, even a sharing of life. This deep abiding relationship is made possi-ble by the justification that comes from the dying and rising of Jesus. By the Paschal Mystery we are set free to enter this communion of love with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus prayed, “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word so that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they may also be in Us.” (Jn 17: 20-21).
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. The Greek word that is translated as inspired in this verse is Theopneustos. Theopneustos means literally breathed out by God.
St. John Damascus spoke of inspired Sacred Scripture: “Sacred Scripture is extremely profit-able for the soul. Like a tree planted near a stream, the soul that is watered by Scripture grows heartily and bears fruit in due season. It is fitted with leaves that are always green, with actions pleasing to God.” (St. John of Damascus, Orthodox Faith, 4: 17).
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Second Timothy is the second of three Pastoral Letters, which consist of First and Second Timothy and Titus. There is some uncertainty as to time of composition and even authorship. Some suggest authentic authorship of Paul with the assistance of a secretary to explain the difference in writing style from other letters known to be of Paul’s hand. Other scholars suggest a composition of Paul’s notes assembled at a later date. All of the above discussion is beyond the scope of this exegesis. It is the message from the inspired word of God that is important.
Timothy accompanied Paul on his second and third missionary journey. We know from the content of 2 Timothy that Paul is writing from prison. He is continuing to shepherd Timothy who is now shepherding the nascent Church.
2 Timothy seems to have been penned during Paul’s final imprisonment. “For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.” (2 Tim 4: 6). Paul is refer-ring to his death, which he feels is immanent. He also shares his desire to die for the Lord in his Letter to the Philippians. “For me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.” (Phil 1: 21-24). Paul was condemned during the persecution of Nero. He was beheaded outside of Rome along the Ostian Way.
I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. An im-portant part of the Sacrifice at the Altar was the pouring out of the libation for God. This is detailed in Exodus 29: 38-40 and in Numbers 28: 7. “And as a libation for the first lamb, to be offered during the evening twilight, you shall offer the same cereal offering and the same libation as in the morning, as a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.” (Num 28: 7). According to Sirach this libation was poured out at the foot of the altar of sacrifice. “Once he had completed the services at the altar with the arranging of the sacrifices for the Most High, and had stretched forth his hand for the cup, to of-fer the blood of the grape, and poured it out at the foot of the altar, a sweet-smelling odor to the Most High God.” (Sir 50: 14-15). St. Paul uses this image in Philippians. “But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.” (Phil 2: 17).
I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. This imagery of the race in one that St. Paul uses often, e.g., “I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Phil 2: 16). A more literal translation of the first part of this verse can be found in the ESV. “I have fought the good fight.” (2 Tim 4: 7). The Greek word that is translated as faith is pistis. For an in-depth discussion of the word see prior exegesis in 2 Timothy.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me. The Greek word that is translated as right-eousness in this verse is dikaiosyne. In Galatians this is called the hope of dikaiosyne. St. James calls this the crown of life. “Blessed in the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life (zoe) that He promised to those who love Him.” (Jas 1:12). St. Peter calls this reward the crown of glory. “And when the chief Shep-herd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory (doza).” (1 Pt 5: 4).
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength. The Greek word that is translated as strength is endynamoo. Endynamoo is a form of the Greek word dynamo which is often used to describe the power of God, especially the power of the Word. Endynamoo is most often used to describe a particular strength given to make one capable or strengthened for service or to perform a par-ticular mission or task.
And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. As a Roman citizen Paul would not have been subject to the death by the lion’s mouth in the Colosseum. The expression is a metaphor for his impris-onment and impending death. Paul was spared for a time. David had a similar experience: “David continued: ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will also keep me safe from the clutches of the Philistine.’” (1 Sam 17: 37). The psalmist also pleads, “Save me from the lion’s mouth.” (Ps 22: 21).
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. The Greek word that is translated in this verse as safe is sozo. Sozo is the common Greek word for salvation. It means to deliver from or to heal or make well.
Luke 18:9-14
The setting of our selected Gospel passage is the same today as it has been in recent weeks, Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem to embrace His Passion. Along the way He is teaching and healing. He is addressing the crowds at times and His disciples at times. In our pericope today He is addressing the crowds and in particular the Scribes and the Pharisees that are among them. After a brief introduction we are blessed again with the words of Jesus.
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. The Greek word that is translated as convinced in this verse is peitho. Peitho means to persuade, convince, win over or trust. St. Paul uses peitho in 2 Corinthians in a way that contrasts this verse. “Indeed, we had accepted within our-selves the sentence of death, that we might trust (peitho) not in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” (2 Cor 1:9). The Greek word that is translated as despised in this verse is exoutheneo. Exoutheneo means to despise, disdain, scorn or reject. It appears in the LXX translation of 1 Samuel in a very poignant way. “This, therefore, is the ora-cle of the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I said in the past that your family and your father’s family should minister in My presence forever.’ But now, the Lord declares, away with this! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who spurn (exoutheneo) Me will be accursed.’” (1 Sam 2: 30). Luke will later use this word to describe Herod’s mock-ery of Jesus. “Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously (exoutheneo) and mocked Him…” (Lk 23: 11).
Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisees, along with the scribes and lawyers, have consistently been portrayed by Luke as rejecting God’s will and justifying themselves in their outward piety. In contrast, the tax collectors and sinners accepted the offer of repentance. It be-gan with the call of John the Baptist to repentance. “All of the people who listened, in-cluding the tax collectors, and who were baptized with the baptism of John, acknowl-edged the righteousness of God, but the Pharisees and scholars of the law, who were baptized by him, rejected the plan of God for themselves.” (Lk 7: 29-30). The contrast here is striking as the Pharisees saw themselves as holy and righteous before God and the tax collector was seen as the worst of the sinners, they were despised by the people and seen as traitors because they served the Roman government who was oppressing the people.
Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. Going up to the temple to pray was a common occurrence in Luke-Acts. (See Luke 1:9; 19:46; 24:53; Acts 2:46; 3:1; 22:17). As He often does Jesus reverses the traditional thinking of the day. The Pharisee was to be seen as the model of piety and holiness while the tax collector was the worst of the worst sinner. Jesus sheds light on their hypocrisy and flips this common understanding on its head.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. The Pharisee took his special reserved position in the front of the temple seating. His position is problematic in that he should be facing the Holy of Ho-lies, i.e. God. But his eye is instead on the tax collector who would have been standing/kneeling in the rear. To see him the Pharisee would have had to turn away from God. Instead of looking up to God he is looking horizontally. Jesus tells us that he is also looking inward, turned in on himself, praying to himself and not to God. Yet, his words are thanking God that he is not like the sinner. The Greek word that is translated as thank you is eucharisteo. This word is most often used by Jesus in the Gospels and once by the Samaritan leper.
But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ The psalmist cries out: “Have mercy on me, God, in Your goodness; in Your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against You alone I have sinned…” (Ps 51: 3-6). In simi-lar vein the Prophet Daniel calls upon the Lord for mercy: “When we present our peti-tion before you, we rely not on our just deeds, but on Your great mercy.” (Dan 9: 18).
“I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Sirach has a lot to say about the virtue of humility. “Exalt not yourself lest you fall and bring upon you dishonor; for then the Lord will reveal your secrets and publicly cast you down.” (Sir 1: 27). “Do not esteem yourself better than your fellows; remember, His wrath will not delay. More and more humble your pride; what awaits man is worms.” (Sir 7: 16-17). “Better the worker who has plenty of everything than the boaster who is without bread. My son, with humility have self-esteem; prize yourself as you deserve. Who will acquit him who condemns him-self? Who will honor him who discredits himself?” (Sir 10: 26-28).
Sirach contrasts humility with pride. “For the affliction of the proud man there is no cure; he is the offshoot of an evil plant.” (Sir 3: 27). The polar opposite of the virtue of humility is the vice of pride. It is pride that is the core vice that caused the fall of humanity. At its deepest level, pride says “I don’t need God.” Humility is coming to the realization that we need God who is the font of our very existence. It was the devil who was in the Garden of Eden. He is the evil plant of which man’s fallen human nature becomes an offshoot. Pride, therefore, comes natural to us. The virtue of humility must be aided by grace in order to overcome the sin of pride. To put on the heart and the mind of Christ is to embrace true hu-mility. The Cross of Jesus is the ultimate act of humility in human history. Christ must be our model and guide.
From the Gospel this weekend we will hear the rather well-known parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Gospel stories often portray a rather negative image of the Pharisees. They were the religious leaders of the time and were basically very good, devout and faithful people. The tax collectors in contrast were for the most part very corrupt and sinful, despised by both their own people who saw them as traitors and by Romans whom they served. In our Gos-pel on Sunday the Pharisee is the negative example and the tax collector is the person Jesus tells us to emulate.
At the heart of the contrast of these two people is their relationship to God, or perhaps more importantly their perceived relationship with God. The Pharisee reminds me of the older son in the parable of The Prodigal Son. Like the older son, the Pharisee is self-righteous. The clue that he has it all wrong is found in his first words when we hear that “He prayed to himself.” He is justifying himself and does not see himself as he really is. Like the older son he is distant from God, yet so close. He is turned in on himself and can’t see God who in the words of St. Augus-tine is “Closer to us than we are to ourselves.” The moral of the story is that if we are full of our-selves there is no room for God in our lives. If we think that we are not in need of salvation, then there is no need for a savior in our lives.
In contrast the tax collector is aware of his need for mercy and forgiveness. From that humble vantage point, he is able to turn to God with a humble and contrite heart. Aware of his own weakness he is able to empty himself before God and open himself to be receptive to God’s love and mercy. He is the one who is closest to God in the parable. Like the prodigal son he is open to feel the embrace of the Father’s love. He moves from an alienation that he created by his free choice back into communion with the Father and with all of creation. Meanwhile, the Pharisee remains alienated unto himself.
At its deepest level true humility is about our relationship to God. It is about knowing our place as God’s beloved children. When we come to this honest reality of who we truly are then and only then can we be in right relationship with God. Remember that it was pride that got us into trouble in the first place, and it is the ultimate act of humility that saved us. It was Jesus who humbled himself to share in our humanity, accepting even death, death on a cross.
Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of us Your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of Your love. Amen.
In Christ Jesus,
Over the years, like most of you, I have attended numerous conferences and listened to hours of really inspiring and motivational talks. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to grow in my own personal spiritual and faith journey along the way and to share some of that acquired wisdom with others.
Several years ago, we were blessed to have Fr. Benedict Groeschel CFR direct our annual Priest Convocation for the Diocese of Marquette. He said something during one of his talks that has stayed with me over the years. He said, “Jesus will meet you where you are, but if you are not there you will not meet Jesus.” He was preaching on the Gospel passage known as The Parable of the Pharisees and the Tax Collector.
Fr. Groeschel began by speaking of the Jewish practice of separation from the unclean and tainted. It was thought that to remain holy one must avoid that which was unholy. It was com-mon practice to avoid Gentile territory and if unavoidable to shake the dust from their feet when leaving Gentile territory and reentering Jewish land. There were roads that bypassed areas like Jericho and Samaria which were seen as particularly sinful places. It was common practice to avoid the unclean, the dead, sinners, tax collectors and lepers.
Jesus did not do that. By entering the waters of our baptism, He came into deep solidarity with sinful humanity. He walked through Jericho and Samaria. He embraced the lepers and dined with tax collectors and sinners. He met the woman of Samaria at the well and engaged with her. He touched the little dead girl. Jesus met the woman caught in adultery where she was on death row. He met people where they were. He flew in the face of Jewish tradition.
The people that Jesus seemed to have the most difficult time to connect with were the Scribes and the Pharisees. They were people who seemed to have become self-righteous in their own minds and hearts. They were not living what they were preaching. They were not living authentic lives, and Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy.
I could immediately resonate with what Fr. Groeschel was saying. As I was experiencing a deep conversion experience in my early thirties, the light of the Holy Spirit first led me deeper into my own heart and soul. In that intense light I saw things in my life that I could not see be-fore. My inner vision had become clouded with the darkened environment in which I was liv-ing. In the light of Christ, I began to discover my true self as a sinner in need of a Savior. From that vantage point I was able to raise the eyes of my heart to heaven, and I discovered that Jesus was waiting for me. As I discovered my true self, I found Jesus.
In that moment, I felt the embrace of the Father’s love as never before. I looked up and I saw, over the tabernacle, a print of Rembrandt’s famous painting The Return of the Prodigal Son. My gaze could not leave the painting; I was being drawn into it. I saw myself almost in an instant moving from the character looking in, to the older son, to the sinner kneeling and beating his breast, to the young prodigal in the arms of his father’s love. Simultaneously I knew that I was to become a priest, to become the embrace of the Father’s love through the sacraments of the Church.
I first had to find myself. There I found Jesus waiting for me. Jesus is the Truth and He can-not be untrue. We must be true to ourselves to meet Him. Jesus will meet you wherever you are, but if you are not there you will not meet Him.
