We are all familiar with the
parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector praying at the Temple in
Jerusalem. “I thank you, God, that I am not like other men…” the Pharisee
begins, and goes on to list all the virtuous things he has done. On the other
hand, the tax-collector simply prays, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The
Pharisee has no doubt obeyed the Law of God to the letter. There is nothing
wrong with that; a Jew is expected to obey God’s Law. But somehow the Pharisee
seems to think that this makes him especially virtuous, better than other
humans. In fact, all he has done is what he ought to do. Far from being a great
virtue, such obedience is no more than his due to God.
In today’s second reading, Paul,
himself once a Pharisee before converting to faith in the resurrected Lord
Jesus, makes just that point. For Paul, “If I preach the Gospel, that gives me
no ground for boasting…Woe to me if I do not
preach the Gospel!” In another place
he says, “When we have done all that is required of us, we are no more than
unworthy servants.” Paul has almost given up his own individuality for the sake
of the Gospel: “I have become all things to all men.”
That is our calling, too. When we
serve God, when we do his will, we are not doing some wonderful thing for which
God owes us a reward. Serving God, obeying him, is not a virtue; it is a
necessity. Doing what God requires of us is our daily bread. But it is also a
gift. Even as we are serving God, obeying him, he is giving to us. In John’s
Gospel, Jesus says, “My food is to do the work of the one who sent me.” Even as
we serve him, God is giving to us
through the very tasks we carry out at his command. We cannot be more generous
than God. In doing his will, we are receiving
more than we could ever possibly give. Paul did everything “for the sake of the
Gospel”. If we really want to serve him, if we really want to experience the
fullness of his love and mercy, then so should we.
Fr. Phillip
