SỐNG VÀ CHIA SẺ LC - BRENDAN - 30TH SUNDAY -C

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Category: 3. Sống & Chia Sẻ Lời Chúa
  •  
    Mo Nguyen
    Oct 26 at 5:26 AM
     
     
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           TRUE AND FALSE PRAYER TO GOD

     

                           THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME / C

                                                27 OCTOBER 2019

                                      REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

                    TRUE AND FALSE PRAYER TO GOD (Luke 18:9-14)

    The characters in the parable told in today’s Gospel illustrate two radically different ways of coming before God. In prayer the focus should be upon God. The Pharisee’s concern, however, is all about himself. Worse still, it also includes the failings of his fellow human being, so conveniently illustrated here in the person of the tax collector.

    The Pharisee (though, of course, not all Pharisees were like this) typifies those who can only bolster their own self-image by putting others down. Life is a competition in virtue. God’s role is that of assessing the results and issuing the prizes. Prayer is an opportunity to keep God informed about how successfully one is doing, and also about the shortcomings of others.

    The tax collector, by contrast, simply pleads that God be merciful to him, a sinner. In what sense was he sinner? Because of personal moral failure? Perhaps. But perhaps also because, with a family to support and no other job possibilities, he finds himself trapped in an occupation that makes him a sinner in his own eyes and those of his world. All this the parable leaves open.

    In any case, as declared by Jesus, it is the tax collector who is right with God (‘justified’), while the Pharisee is not.

    This should bring comfort to many who feel trapped in their sinfulness and unworthy to approach God. The parable suggests that God can deal far more easily with our sinfulness than our ‘righteousness’ in our own eyes. It is the latter that erects a barrier against the bountiful mercy of God.

    Brendan Byrne, SJ

    Lord, Have Mercy On Me (Christian Praise and Worship Songs with Lyrics) - Esther Mui:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp_8H_2T9hQ

     

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    Lạy Chúa Xin Thương Con - Trình bày: Đình Trinh:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqu5rFeEzVA

     

    The Sinner's Prayer:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PviuQI4stxs

     

    A Prayer To God The Father HD:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3tG6esWc-k