The Sánchez Archives THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

By
Patricia Datchuck Sánchez

Prayer Changes Things

SIRACH 35:12-14, 16-18
2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8, 16-18
LUKE 18:9-14

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), the Danish philosopher and author who described faith as a “leap” whereby the believer goes beyond reason to embrace the paradox of God, also wrote, “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” In a similar vein of thought, the eminent biblical scholar, Raymond E. Brown, once said in a homily that if no change occurs as a result of prayer, then one has not really prayed. Today’s scripture readings, with their shared focus on authentic and genuine prayer invite the gathered assembly to consider the insights of Kierkegaard and Brown inasmuch as these may challenge and change their own personal experience as praying believers.

The Lucan parable which comprises today’s gospel features two men at prayer in the temple. After they had prayed, both departed the temple and ostensibly both probably looked the same to passersby. However, as Jesus observed, one man left his prayer a changed person; he was justified, i.e., set in right relationship with God. The other was not. What accounted for the difference? The Pharisee, it would appear, aimed his “prayer” in the wrong direction. Rather than leap forth in faith from the security of his own self-righteousness, he remained anchored within himself. Rather than gaze in awe and gratitude upon God, he looked at himself, basked in the glory of his accomplishments and liked what he saw. Then he looked around and was pleased that he found no one of comparable stature. He had not changed; he had made no leap of faith; he had not truly prayed. By contrast, the tax collector looked, not at himself or others, but at God and flung himself upon God’s tender mercies which transformed him with forgiveness. His prayer was authentic; because, through it, he allowed God to change him.

Prayer had effected a similar transformation in Paul (second reading); suffering, imprisoned, facing a trial that could have resulted in his death, he did not look at himself as a victim. In prayer, he looked only at Christ, felt his strength at his side and knew himself to be a partner in the suffering that brings salvation. He could have looked at the community of believers and faulted them; they had abandoned him, leaving no one to take his part. Instead, and through prayer, he looked only at Christ and asked that it not be held against them. Through prayer, Paul had changed; he had learned to look at others with the eyes of God and to serve others with the loving, forgiving, selfless compassion of Christ.

In today’s first reading, Jesus ben Sira reminds his readers that those who allow God to change their hearts in prayer will also be pleased to discover that God, who hears all prayers, also has the power to change wailing into laughter, weakness into strength, oppression to freedom and complaint into contentment. All that is needed is a faith that is willing to leap toward God and surrender to the power that saves.

Today, as the members of the congregation depart from their time of prayer together, each of us will look ostensibly the same. The change in us that is effected by authentic, faith-driven prayer will become obvious as the coming week with all of its joys and sorrows, smiles and suffering, loving and living, serving and giving unfolds. Whether or not that change can be sustained will depend upon the renewing power of daily prayer. Until we meet again next week for our communal celebration, each of us can lend to one another the support of mutual prayer, so that the change that occurs in each of us might become contagious. Learning a lesson from the Pharisee and the tax collector, each of us might also offer to one another the freedom to change. By withholding criticism, by giving one another the benefit of the doubt, by relegating the prerogative of judgment to God alone, by, by forgetting past mistakes and by being willing to be surprised by another’s growth in goodness. . . we become enablers of change. Changed by God in prayer, each of us becomes a catalyst for changing and transforming the world.

SIRACH 35:12-14, 16-18

When he was counseling others as regards prayer, Martin Luther (1483-1546) said, “A good prayer mustn’t be too long. Do not draw it out. Prayer ought to be frequent and fervent.” When Theodorus had the occasion to observe Luther at prayer, he saw evidence that the Reformer had followed his own advice. “I overheard him in prayer, but good God, with what life and spirit did he pray! It was with so much reverence, as if he were speaking to God, yet with so much confidence as if he were speaking to his friend.” Frequent, fervent and familiar. . . so also did Jesus ben Sira recommend that his readers pray to God. Their prayer could be frequent because God is never deaf to the needs of humankind. Their prayer could be familiar because God knows no favorites. Frequent and familiar prayer must also be fervent, because God is a God of justice and right.

When the book called Sirach or Ecclesiasticus first appeared in Hebrew in 180 B.C.E., it was intended as a manual of instruction for those who attended the academy run by its author. Jesus ben Sira would have his charges knowledgeable on a wide variety of topics, including prayer, the law, social protocol, morality, business ethics, family life, community relations, and the traditions and heroes that had shaped their history. Realizing the relevance these writings would have for future generations of Jewish believers, ben Sira’s grandson translated his grandfather’s work into Greek ca. 132 B.C.E. Thereafter, this eclectic book served as a worthy vehicle of Hebrew thought and wisdom for Greek speaking Jews living in the diaspora, struggling against the homogenizing influence of Hellenism.

Today’s first reading is an excerpt from a longer section devoted to sacrificial worship and prayer (34:18-35:20). Concurring with his ancestral prophets, ben Sira taught that sacrifice is acceptable to God only when motivated by authentic faith, proper moral dispositions and adherence to the law. If liturgy is merely an external exercise, it is nothing more than hypocrisy and a mocking affront to God.

In the verses immediately preceding this text, ben Sira compared the valuelessness of the evil person’s sacrifice with that of the just, asserting that the gifts of the godless are not approved, nor can a multiplicity of sacrifices substitute for sincerity or wring forgiveness from God. Only the prayer that arises from a clear conscience and heart, washed clean by charitable works, is pleasing.

Then, as is reflected in today’s reading, the ancient sage affirmed the impartiality with which God hears prayers. Extravagant gifts from the rich do not please more than the simple offerings of the poor. God is not swayed by societal status but is sympathetic to the prayer that is authenticated through sincere service (v. 16). Surely ben Sira’s message brought great comfort to those who were relegated to the lowly echelons of society, viz., the weak and oppressed, the orphan and the widow. These were assured that God not only listens attentively to their prayers but that God will also champion their cause. Within a few generations, Sirach’s promise of comfort became incarnate in the person of Jesus who reached out to society’s neediest and mandated his followers to do the same.

2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8, 16-18

Enriched by the culture and spirituality of her Native American mother, educator and author Jose Hobday has, in turn, enriched the lives of others by sharing the experiences of her youth. On those occasions when her heart was heavy or burdened with difficulty, she prayed, as her mother had taught her, the Sacrifice Flower Prayer. After finding a flower she liked, she picked it and prayed for relief from her sorrow. Among the Seneca Iroquois, it was believed that the Sacrifice Flower, as it died, would carry the prayer to God. After the flower died, it was buried; in life it had given glory to God and joy to humankind. In death it would give life to flowers that were yet to bloom. According to Hobday, the entire experience taught her how uplifting prayer can be and, how basic, both dying and rising are to living. She also learned how important it is that we become Sacrifice Flowers for one another.

Had he been familiar with the Sacrifice Flower prayer, the apostle Paul may have used similar imagery in describing his life in Christ Jesus. Like the flower, he had been picked or chosen for the special task of preaching the good news to the gentiles. Like the flower, he had given his life for his ministry; each day had brought a daily taste of dying as he suffered rejection, persecution and innumerable hardships. Through it all, he regarded his life as a prayer, a sacrifice. In the end, he knew that his death, united as it was to Christ’s dying and rising, would bring eternal life to him, and, that through his witness, the seeds of the faith would be soon in the hearts of future believers.

With language and imagery that was more familiar to his readers, Paul compared his personal passing from death to life as a “libation being poured out” (v. 6). Spendesthai referred to the custom with which every Roman meal concluded; a cup of wine was poured out in honor of the gods. Paul understood that his imminent death would require the emptying to the dregs of the cup that had been his lot in life. With another graphic expression, Paul announced the nearness of his dissolution or departure. As William Barclay (The Daily Study Bible, The Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh: 1975) has explained, the term analusis has many a picture in it and each reveals something of Paul’s thoughts about leaving this life. Analusis is the word used for (1) unyoking an animal from the plow or wagon at day’s end; (2) loosening bonds or fetters; (3) loosening the ropes of a tent when breaking camp; (4) loosening the mooring cable of a ship. Poured out, unyoked, unfettered and free of everything that could anchor him to earth, Paul looked on death as a freeing experience and welcomed it. Then, turning to the language of the sports arena, Paul further imaged his death as having “fought the good fight” and “finished the race.” Having competed for Christ in every possible venue, Paul had indeed kept the faith and could rightly lay claim to the victor’s prize. Laurel wreaths were bestowed upon winning athletes but Paul knew that his crown would never wilt or fade. Despite the fact that he felt abandoned by his contemporaries (see verses 9-15), Paul drew his strength from his continuing and uninterrupted experience of the presence of Christ.

Having preserved his mentor’s thoughts regarding his demise (Paul died ca 64-65 C.E.), the author of 2 Timothy has shared these thoughts with his readers through the centuries, thus reminding us of the greatness in which we are rooted and the glory for which we are bound.

LUKE 18:9-14

On the first evening of their visit with their grandmother, a young boy and his brother knelt by their bed to pray. Shouting as loudly as he could, the younger boy pleaded. . . “and PLEASE God, I need a new bicycle and a pair of roller blades.” “Shh!” said the older boy, “not so loud. God isn’t deaf, you know!” To which his younger brother replied. “Yes, I know, but Grandma is.” Technically, the boy was praying to God but, like the Pharisee in today’s gospel, he was doing so simply to benefit himself.

Although the anecdote about the child’s prayer may prompt a smile or a laugh, we are less inclined to be sympathetic toward the Pharisee. In the eyes of his contemporaries, however, the Pharisee was regarded as a model of spirituality. Everything he said to God in prayer was true. He did fast; the law (Leviticus 16:29,31) required a fast one day a year on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), but the Pharisee fasted twice a week. He also tithed. Joseph A. Fitzmyer (The Gospel According to Luke, Doubleday and Co. Inc., New York: 1985) has explained that the emphasis in verse 12 falls on all. Deuteronomy 14:22-23 prescribed that a tithe of the produce of field and flock be offered annually at the harvest festival; the Pharisee did more than the law obliged, tithing on everything he owned. When he catalogued his virtues before God and compared himself to the rest of humankind-- grasping, crooked adulterous” (v. 11), no one within earshot of his prayer would have found any fault in this exemplar of righteousness. However, when his brilliance is refracted through the prism of the good news of Jesus, it becomes clear that the Pharisee missed the mark on two counts; he did not truly know himself nor did he truly know God.

Had he truly prayed, i.e., had he truly stood in truth before God, the source of all goodness and righteousness, the Pharisee would have realized that he had nothing to give and everything to gain. So sure of his merits, so satisfied with his achievements, the Pharisee neglected to credit the Source of life, grace and blessing who had enabled and supported him in every accomplishment. Unlike the tax collector, the Pharisee did not understand that salvation cannot be merited, but, that it is God’s gratuitous gift to sinners. For that reason, he left the temple, pleased but not prayerful, satisfied but not changed, whereas the tax collector went home justified, i.e., changed by God and saved by grace.

As Luke Timothy Johnson (The Gospel of Luke, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville: 1991) has noted, this parable challenges all who hear it because it speaks to something deep within every human heart. The love of God can so easily deteriorate into an idolatrous self-love; God’s gifts can so easily be seized and regarded as well-deserved rewards. Prayer can easily erode into boasting. Prayer is not an optional exercise in piety, carried out to demonstrate one’s relationship with God. Prayer is that relationship and the manner in which we pray, the words we speak, the posture we assume, serve to reveal that relationship. If prayer is simply self-assertion before God, or an odious comparison of ourselves with others, then there is no relationship, the words are empty, the posturing is prideful. Today’s parable challenges us to learn the truth of prayer, the truth that graces us, changes us and makes us authentic disciples.

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