WHAT SAVINGS BANK RENDERS THE GREATEST INTEREST?
Never confide on your own merits. If you do so, you will be classified by Christ Himself as a ‘Pharisee’. Referring to next Sunday’s Gospel, this Pharisee went into the Temple and ‘gave a report, a balance-sheet’ of all he had done. He exalted his own good works and considered them an advantage before God. Do note the fact that Christ has not criticised him for doing all that good work, but do note as well that the Pharisee is confiding on his own merits. All he is asking is that his good work, sort of, be acknowledged, to be rubber-stamped by the Lord … but is not asking for justification by God. He returned home as before, with all his undeniable good works but without saying that God was able to make him just. This point is the fulcrum of the argument.
All he had done was good and praiseworthy, but the Pharisee is comparing his life and good deeds with that of a sinner, a publican. He should have tried to imitate God’s holiness and empty himself so that God would furnish him with all merits. He must have accepted to make himself small, poor among the poor, humble himself. Had he taken this attitude he would have been in a condition to be filled with gifts by the Lord, as Mary of Nazareth, the poor, humble servant did, through whom the Omnipotent worked marvels (Lk 1:48-49).
Many are those who have taken this Marian attitude, who emptied themselves so that the clay potter, once he has broken the old clay pot, will form a new one, mixed with it the broken shreds of the old one and form, shape a new pot according to His plans and wishes. Not this Pharisee, he was so sure of himself, to the point that he wanted to ‘justify’ himself with God.
St.Francis of Assisi, amongst many others, realised that this life on earth was transient, temporary, brief, short, short-lived, call it what you will. That is why Francis emptied himself; surrendered his inheritance, his family, his property ... even his clothes, to be like Christ. Not so this Pharisee.
He went as far as he tried to justify himself by openly despising others. This was declared by himself: ‘I am unlike the others, I’m not like this poor chap, this publican.’ Very probable, the publican was not a model of a virtuous life. He was a poor man who knew he could offer to God only his “broken and torn down heart”, as the Psalm says: ‘The Lord does not despise it (Ps 51:19). It is the hungry who is filled with good things while the rich is sent back empty-handed.’ (Lk 1:53).
He literally fits with the description given some weeks ago that ‘we are useless, worthless servants’. It does not even cross his mind that good acts could give him the right to salvation, because he considers himself worthless. Any worth is merited by humbling yourself totally. A bank account, that renders great interest in Heaven, can be opened only by God, in our name, and God deposits the capital Himself. But, we enjoy the interest for all eternity.
Never confide on your own merits. If you do so, you will be classified by Christ Himself as a ‘Pharisee’. Referring to next Sunday’s Gospel, this Pharisee went into the Temple and ‘gave a report, a balance-sheet’ of all he had done. He exalted his own good works and considered them an advantage before God. Do note the fact that Christ has not criticised him for doing all that good work, but do note as well that the Pharisee is confiding on his own merits. All he is asking is that his good work, sort of, be acknowledged, to be rubber-stamped by the Lord … but is not asking for justification by God. He returned home as before, with all his undeniable good works but without saying that God was able to make him just. This point is the fulcrum of the argument.
All he had done was good and praiseworthy, but the Pharisee is comparing his life and good deeds with that of a sinner, a publican. He should have tried to imitate God’s holiness and empty himself so that God would furnish him with all merits. He must have accepted to make himself small, poor among the poor, humble himself. Had he taken this attitude he would have been in a condition to be filled with gifts by the Lord, as Mary of Nazareth, the poor, humble servant did, through whom the Omnipotent worked marvels (Lk 1:48-49).
Many are those who have taken this Marian attitude, who emptied themselves so that the clay potter, once he has broken the old clay pot, will form a new one, mixed with it the broken shreds of the old one and form, shape a new pot according to His plans and wishes. Not this Pharisee, he was so sure of himself, to the point that he wanted to ‘justify’ himself with God.
St.Francis of Assisi, amongst many others, realised that this life on earth was transient, temporary, brief, short, short-lived, call it what you will. That is why Francis emptied himself; surrendered his inheritance, his family, his property ... even his clothes, to be like Christ. Not so this Pharisee.
He went as far as he tried to justify himself by openly despising others. This was declared by himself: ‘I am unlike the others, I’m not like this poor chap, this publican.’ Very probable, the publican was not a model of a virtuous life. He was a poor man who knew he could offer to God only his “broken and torn down heart”, as the Psalm says: ‘The Lord does not despise it (Ps 51:19). It is the hungry who is filled with good things while the rich is sent back empty-handed.’ (Lk 1:53).
He literally fits with the description given some weeks ago that ‘we are useless, worthless servants’. It does not even cross his mind that good acts could give him the right to salvation, because he considers himself worthless. Any worth is merited by humbling yourself totally. A bank account, that renders great interest in Heaven, can be opened only by God, in our name, and God deposits the capital Himself. But, we enjoy the interest for all eternity.
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