Praying
- Gary Fritsch
- Mar 29
- 2 min read
It is so easy for us to pile on the Pharisees. They draw the ire of Jesus so often, and so we feel justified when we stand next to the Lord (metaphorically) and say 'yeah, what He said!'
Why is Jesus harsh with them? Because they have put themselves in the role of instructors for the people, exemplars, leaders and guides. Well Jesus wants us all to assume these kinds of roles in some way, and so the Pharisees become His teaching foil. In today's Gospel, Jesus wants to uncover some things about prayer.
Jumping from the page for me, as though it were in red bold letters was this phrase: ' [he] spoke this prayer to himself.' Wow - two things there, and it might just be awkward wording but it seems like two things are happening there: one - he is speaking a prayer - not praying, and two - he is speaking the prayer 'to himself'. This seems counter to the tax-collector who 'prayed, O God'.
Prayer should never be a perfunctory thing. We often use a well-worn or well-worded prayer to capture what our heart wants to say, but prayers are not a magic formula. The saying of particular words without the movement of our hearts, and a desire to communicate with God do not justify us. Sometimes, we need to set aside words entirely, knowing that God does not need them. If you have favorite prayers (and I certainly have mine) take the time to acknowledge what they say and how that connects to your heart and what you desire to communicate to God. Avoid the temptation to 'get your prayers in'. Always take time to acknowledge the presence of God before you pray.
The second part can be a little challenging. The Pharisee seems to be focused on himself in prayer (although one might argue that the tax-collector is as well), but he actually starts well by expressing gratitude, yet he seems to quickly turn his gratitude toward himself and how great he is doing. Him expressing that he is glad he is not like the tax-collector is not the worst thing. We can thank God that we were born into good circumstances, we can be grateful for a Christian upbringing (or conversion) or even that God has given us the strength to successfully observe our Lenten 'fasts'. But what the Pharisee does is counter to the Jewish tradition of Berekah, where they recognize that every good thing comes from God.
Acknowledge that your prayer is directed toward God, who is always present to us, express gratitude for every good thing, and humbly rely on God's saving grace and providence.
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