FIRST READING (The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.)

A reading from the Book of 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. — The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23)

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor. (Ps 34:7a)

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 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 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)

SECOND READING (From now on, the crown of righteousness awaits me.)

A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to 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. — The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (2 Cor 5:19)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of salvation. (R)

GOSPEL (The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to 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 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.” — The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

“Everyone who humbles himself will be exalted!”

          As we continue our Sunday readings from the Gospel of Luke and especially the instructions of Jesus about discipleship and the cost of being a follower of Jesus challenges our viewpoint of ourselves and of those around us. Our 1st reading reminds us that God is a benevolent and just judge and cannot be bribed or swayed because of someone’s status or social position. If anything, this reading and the Responsorial psalm remind us of the opposite: The poor man called, and the Lord heard HIM!” It is to the poor., the weak, the insignificant that God reaches out.

          St. Paul, writing from his prison cell, reminds us too of the perils we may face because of discipleship. He speaks of being abandoned and forced to face his accusers by himself – but not really alone for “the Lord stood by me and gave me power.” And he goes on with deep conviction to remind all disciples that “The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom,” as long as we imitate Paul’s perseverance, to “fight the good fight, run the race, finish course…and most especially through it all, to keep the faith!” This continues last week’s call to PERSERVERENCE.

          The parable today of the Pharisee and the Publican is a lesson not only against self-righteousness, but also on the virtue of humility.

          At first glance the parable offers us a contrast between two generally accepted cultural attitudes. First, the Pharisee’s attitude reveals that he is very proud and impressed with himself, thinking highly of his public image, and yet he is unaware of his own sin, his self-righteousness. And then we have the tax collector or publican whose attitude reveals that he is deeply aware of his own sinfulness and shortcomings, but he also is contrite and seeks God’s mercy. In the end, the tax collector returns to his home justified while the pharisee does not.

          The question placed before us is quite simple: What does it mean to be justified?

          The tax collector had a clear conscience and understood and was grounded in the truth. He knew his own need for mercy, humbly begged for it and then received it. He did not lie or deceive himself, nor did he do this to others. He knew who he was and it was this self-knowledge that allowed God to exalt him. The tax collector’s justification came through the forgiveness of his sins and God’s bountiful mercy of God in his life.

          The Pharisee may have felt good about himself, self-satisfied about the image he projected to all around him, and in a way elevated himself for all to see. He was convinced of his own self-righteousness, but in reality he was not righteous. He was only SELF-righteous. He was living a lie. He was not as righteous as he thought and so he was not truly justified.

          The lesson of this short parable is to give us a profound realization of the importance of living in the truth. Those who present a false image of themselves may fool themselves and may even fool others. But they will never fool God, and sadly they will never find peace with themselves. Discipleship call us to recognize our own sinfulness and our weaknesses, and in a true sense of humility beg for the one remedy that will heal us – God’s mercy.

Today, too, as the universal Church celebrates the 102nd Anniversary of World Mission Sunday, our second reading from St. Paul has a special impact for us in meditating on our own call to assist in the missionary efforts of the Church.

Using the metaphor of the sport of track and field, Paul speaks of competing in a race and succeeding – finishing the race and winning a crown – for us the crown of righteousness. His advice to his own disciple whom he ordained, Timothy, is also good advice for all of us today. He gives to Timothy and to us the assurance that no matter what difficulties we face, what problems we encounter, what obstacles weigh us down, “The Lord will rescue (us) from every evil threat and will bring us safe to his heavenly kingdom.”

          Sisters and brothers, the life and journey of any missionary is a special grace of discipleship. We are called not only to follow HIM, but we have the assurance that this journey will take us far from home, far from our family and friends, far from what makes us comfortable and safe. Nonetheless, we have the assurance of God’s promises in Scripture, and more especially the special gifts that each missionary receives – the spiritual support of prayers from so many; the financial support from people who share from their own resources to help us in our special ministry, to build churches, hospitals, schools, clinics, orphanages, homes for the elderly, and training facilities for local clergy and religious. Most especially we are blessed to seek the lord where he is found – among communities in other nations and among other peoples, not only sharing our faith, but being graced with their own expression of faith.

          It is in the joy of being a missionary – and we are all missionaries by our baptism into the Church – that we come to understand in humble service that “the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Prayer of the Faithful

Celebrant: On World Mission Sunday we celebrate our unity in faith as sisters
and brothers of a worldwide Church. With confidence, we place our needs
requests before the Lord, knowing that he hears the prayers of those who
love him.

READER: We pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, that he will lead the
Church with wisdom and joy, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: We pray for missionaries serving in places hostile to the Gospel,
that they may be sustained in their faith and joyful in their witness,
(Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: We pray for the young churches in Africa, Asia the Americas and
Oceania, that they will be filled with the peace of knowing the risen
Christ, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: We pray for comfort and healing for those who are broken-
hearted and that we may walk with them in their suffering, (Pause)
LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all living and deceased members of our community who we
remember in our prayers, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.
CELEBRANT: Loving God, we come before you united in faith and in love,
knowing that you hear us as we make our prayers through your Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ, (all) AMEN.