The Heart Of The Matter Is the Matter Of the Heart.

Reflection on LK. 18:9-14

This scene is a good example of understanding God's justice. We can not pay our way to heaven. But we can always find it. The incident reveals the true essence of serving the Lord. Quantity matters, but quality in terms of humility counts. Actions are good, but the best intentions should be its source. It is not the hurt that an act would entail but the heart that goes with it. Repentance is the sacrifice (offering) most pleasing to God. Humility brings us to our true place with God. All our good works are meant to be a thanksgiving to God who was responsible for everything that we have and achieved. God does not and will never owe us anything. There is nothing we can do for Him. Everything that we do and are asked to do are for our neighbors and for ourselves. God's plan is for all of us to be saved. Knowing, loving, and serving God are meant to make us worthy of the Kingdom. Realizing this truth makes us work more and at the same time humbles us more. As Jesus said in the Gospels, good servants, after they had done what everything for the master, should say to themselves that they only did what they were supposed to do and therefore should regard themselves as unworthy ones. The point of the Lord is that our lives were meant to be a thanksgiving (liturgy=living sacrifice) to God.

The sharp contrast of the attitudes of the Pharisee and the tax collector in the temple provides us a clearer idea of our responsibility and how we attain God's justice (the Kingdom). The Pharisee took a good position in the temple; praised himself and even measured himself against the tax collector; lastly, he reminded God about his accomplishments by mentioning his acts of fasting and tithes. He gives us the idea that because of what he had done, God owes him! The Pharisee was short of saying to God to be proud of him and therefore must reward him. On the other hand, the tax collector located himself as far away from God as he can; would not even raise his eyes to heaven; beats his breast and prayed. He was showing an attitude of utmost humility. He feels unworthy and in dire need of forgiveness. His words of contrition and begging for mercy were all he can do to express to God how sorry he was in offending God. For Jesus, the tax collector went home justified while the Pharisee did not.

Does this mean that all of the good things that the Pharisee had done were for naught? No. The actions of the Pharisee were good per se. Unfortunately for him, the Lord does not only consider the act. Jesus was also concerned about the heart that went with the act. This is understandable because we know that actions maybe "good" but may come from evil intentions. The devil, in fact, can make use of "good" actions to attain his goals; e.g. it will convince you to go to mass instead of reviewing for your exams. It wants you to fail in the guise of wanting you to be "holy". On the other hand, essentially evil actions can not be justified by the best of intentions.  For example, aborting a baby to avoid responsibility or embarrassment does not agree with the Will of God. Good intentions and good actions must go together. The matters of the heart are the heart of the matter. 

God's justice was fulfilled in the tax collector. He may have done much bad and not done much good, but he gave more heart. By being humble and very contrite, he gained the respect and mercy of God. Opening his heart to God made possible the entry of God's grace of forgiveness. New life in him resulted in the process. The beauty of this is that God's justice is available to all at all times. God may have made each one of us unique, but He made all of us with a heart. A heart where His words had been inscribed. A heart where He dwells and constantly prods us to follow His Will. A heart where we can always find His wonderful presence. A heart that will help us to see our true place with Him and lovingly encourage us to go back to Him. It does not matter to God whether we are rich or poor, powerful or powerless, white or black, woman or man, priest or lay, educated or not etc. Our heart's desires and actions determine our worthiness for God's justice!