2013-10-24 Daniel Daring 2013 articles 2012 articles
30th
Sunday: Do
not despise them
Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14
Sitting silently in a chapel, undisturbed by the people, I allow my thoughts to wonder and my imagination to soar. I call it prayer. I am not alone, but I close my eyes, plug the ears with the earphones of my iPod, and listen to the meditation music. Wow! The whole exercise gives me such a great feeling of becoming holier. Abraham Heschel in his book, the Prophets, has this comment: “In archaic religions the relationship between man and his gods and the relationship between man and his fellowmen represented two areas unrelated to each other.” I fully agree. People are so annoying. They do not obey rules; they do not agree with my opinions; they take me for granted; and they do not give me the proper respect. Moreover, they are noisy. They shout, quarrel, and use foul language. But thanks to our chapels, protecting walls of our monasteries, and retreat centers I can escape from them and talk to Him. He is so different; He listens and accepts whatever I say; He encourages me to continue my striving for perfection. After those moments of solitude I become alive. Once again, I can face the annoying crowd of my fellowmen.
The earth abounds with Pharisees. Not only individuals, but entire nations are infected with this spiritual disease. As in the time of Jesus, the Pharisees of our time belong to the most influential religious and political lobbies that dictate the policies of our world. They are the righteous ones. They claim that God speaks to them. They claim the knowledge of right and wrong. They know exactly who belongs to the axis of evil. They are the ‘master race,’ ‘the coalition of the willing.’ They are vested with a mission from on high to regenerate this world and “administer government among savage and senile people” (Albert Beveridge, the Senator of Indiana, during the Debate over the fate of the Philippines and the whole East Asia region in U.S. Congress in 1899). They tend to forget, however, that the God of the Bible is not like those gods of archaic religions. Relationship with our fellowmen reveals the quality of our relationship with God. “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet he hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). Jesus united the two areas into one by stating that there is no greater commandment than loving God and loving one’s neighbor (Mark 12:29-31). If we forget this principle then our claim to righteousness is baseless.
The earth is also full of tax-collectors, people who are taught to feel guilty because of the way they look, the way they speak or the work they do. They try to be invisible, as if apologizing for being around. Their shyness and the profound respect they have for the Pharisees are amazing. They are taught that the Pharisees are the righteous ones and that God does not listen to their prayers, the prayers of sinners. And they tend to believe this. Left then without hope for a change, they only dare to cry to God for mercy: “But the tax collector stood at distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner’” (Luke 18:13). Again, it is not true. The God of the Bible does not discriminate on grounds of race, gender or educational attainment. “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love” (Psalm 147:11).
But why should the God of the Bible be so preoccupied with my relationship with others? Are prayers, fasting, and tithes not sufficient expression of my piety? Why should the Mighty One make my attitude towards others the basis for His judgment over my religiosity? Perhaps the answer lies in our realization that “it is in relations between man and man that God is at stake” (Heschel). To despise others is an affront to God. “He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy” (Proverbs 14:21). To look down on others is a humiliation of God. “He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker” (Proverbs 17:5). We all belong to the same species called Homo sapiens. We are all creatures, related to one another. It must pain God, the Creator of each one of us and the Father of us all, to notice that instead of praising Him as one people, we show off and recite the litany of our spiritual credentials: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men . . . I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get” (Luke 18:12).
The music ends. As I open my eyes, I see this beautiful statue dressed up and adorned with gold. Such a masterpiece! People kneel in front of it. I am about to do the same, but a little girl catches my attention. Full of life, with a smile on her face, she runs towards her mother. Suddenly, I have a strange feeling that God, whom I never expect to speak to me during my prayer time, tries to convey this message: ‘She is my masterpiece. Each person is. Do not despise them.’
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