The Refusal to Repent
Deacon Angelo Volpi’s homily
Thirstiest Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Syrah 35:12-1, 16-18; Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14
INTRODUCTION
Good evening!
Today’s Gospel brings to us a profound truth. There is one sin that cannot be forgiven - and it is the refusal to repent. It is not because God cannot forgive. It is because when we think - I am a good person, I don’t steal, I don’t kill people, I go to church, we become prideful and righteous like the Pharisees and we can’t see our flows. We don't see the need for God.
ME
At the beginning of the diaconate formation I was introduced to the Liturgy of the Hours. There is one prayer that is repeated throughout the day that caught immediately my attention.
“God comes to my assistance. Lord make haste to help me.”
All clergy, the pope, bishops, priests and deacons, make a promise at ordination to pray the Liturgy of the Hour every single day, multiple times at day. I was very surprised that the morning prayer, the midday prayer, evening and night prayer, always start with, “God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.”
I thought - isn’t this too much! Does the POPE really need God to hasten to help him multiple times a day! I thought - maybe the English translation is too strong.
So I went and looked at the Italian translation - and that is even stronger! “O, Dio vieni a salvarmi. Signore vieni presto in mio aiuto.” The Italian version is not just “Come to my assistance”, it says “Come to save me!”
And so - the answer is “Yes” - we all need God to hasten to help us all the time.
The Liturgy of the Hours wants to teach us that unless we deeply repent of our sins, whether small or big, we will not be saved. In the gospel today, the spiritually prideful Pharisee was not saved.
YOU
Do you ever find yourself thinking - I am a good person - why should I go to confession?
Do you recognize your need for God not only in great sins, but in the small movements of your heart of pride and judgment of others? I know I don’t all the time.
GOD
The gospel of last Sunday reminded us of the importance of being persistent in prayer. This Sunday we continue to pray the gospel according to Luke from chapter 18 and we learn another aspect of prayer. We learn that it takes humility of the heart to pray - as the Catechism reminds us (CCC 2613). In other words, we don’t pray to demonstrate our piety to God. We pray because we need God to come in haste to help us. We pray because we need to repent of our big sins and we need God’s healing grace to change our heart. Today’s Gospel brings to us a profound truth.
There is one sin that cannot be forgiven - and it is the refusal to repent. You can follow all the rules but if you don’t repent you will not be saved. This is what happened to the Pharisee - because he refused to repent he was not saved.
The Pharisee and the tax collector went up to the temple to pray. Consider that at that time the Pharisees were considered very holy in the eyes of the jews. The Pharisees were really good at following all the rules, they even counted the steps on the Sabbath to make sure that they did not take any steps above what was allowed. In the Pharisee’s prayer there is no need for God’s help. It focuses on himself - I fast …, I pay tithes…, I am not like the rest of humanity … He followed the rules but he refused to accept the need to repent for anything in his life.
On the other hand, tax collectors were despised by everyone. They were Jews that had accepted to collaborate with the oppressing Roman government.
They helped the Roman government transfer the money from the Jews to the Romans. In exchange they were given the power to overcharge taxes as much as they wanted. It is said that they were so despised that the people didn’t even make jokes about them - such was the hatred that people had for tax collectors and they were considered by their own people the worst thieves and sinners.
Notice from the gospel that the tax collector felt too dirty and sinful so he remained at distance and did not even raise his eyes to heaven. But his prayer came from a deep, contrite heart that knows that HE NEEDS GOD and that ONLY GOD can help him where is at. He prayed;
“O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
The tax collector is praying from the deepest place of his pain in his heart - knowing that only God can save him.
Jesus tells us that the tax collector went home justified, not the Pharisee. SPIRITUAL PRIDE is what made the Pharisee blind to his sins and unable to ask for any repentance.
On the other end the HUMILITY in the tax collector allowed him to see his deeply sinful nature and the absolute need for God in his life.
YOU
What does this mean for us?
In this parable Jesus is making us aware of behaviors in our life that can become harmful for us. Jesus is imploring us to PAY ATTENTION to the movements of our hearts, thoughts, desires and feelings.
How can I recognize when I drift away and become like the Pharisee, whether in prayer or during my daily life?
When our thoughts and desires move us to any increase of Faith, Hope or Love, we know that we are praying from a contrite heart. In other words I experience being more faithful, more hopeful and more loving.
The Pharisee was not more faithful - there was actually no need of God in his prayer. He was not more hopeful as he couldn't even pray for a miracle for the tax collector. And certainly he was not more loving - he was putting down the tax collector and others.
WE
My invitation to you is to pay deeper attention to the movements of your heart. Take time to talk to your kids on how to recognize the movements in their own heart.
The Parisee did not - and just following the rules was not enough to be saved.
As we prepare ourselves to receive Jesus - beg him for an increase of Faith, Hope and Love in your life like the tax collector. “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
True prayers always deepen our Faith, Hope and Love.
