THE GOSPEL LAST Sunday (MARCH 15) about the Pharisee and the tax collector– both inside the church praying, with the self-righteous pharisee praising himself for his obedience to all God’s commandments while those around him are not, and the tax collector, kneeling at the farthest end without raising his eyes to the Lord’s image and beating his chest fervently asking for God’s forgiveness.
Clearly, the gospel speaks of pride and humility.
Then the gospel poses: “He who humbles himself shall be exulted, he who exults himself shall be humbled before the Lord.”
I quote the gospel because it speaks truthfully about our current reality: the world is in chaos because of too much self-exultation, pride and self- righteousness.
‘The chaos we find our country in – the noises from politicians and errant businessmen – are products of the pride and indignation we feel towards those around us about their flaws and blunders without looking at our own imperfections and sins against society.’
OUR OWN IMPERFECTIONS
The chaos we find our country in – the noises from politicians and errant businessmen – are products of the pride and indignation we feel towards those around us about their flaws and blunders without looking at our own imperfections and sins against society.
We mouth too many suggestions and demand changes without introspecting about our own actions that contribute to the chaos in our country. The world is in shambles because leaders would like to show off their might and self-righteousness, as if they possessed the final dispensers of justice. Wars kill and maim many nations and peoples and greed deprives our neighbors the just compensation for their labor, wisdom and wealth.
Our politicians push laws– despite an over-abundance of laws in our land– just to serve their own and family’s interests and to protect their influence over those of people living in the margins.
And these same legislators (many of them filthy rich from corruption) and top officials in business and government are themselves the ones inflicting harm in our society through nepotism, conflict of interest and corruption– which they justify as necessary for progress.
EVERYONE IS EQUAL
The middle class and the poor shoulder the burden of their misdeeds in terms of oppressive and regressive taxes, discriminatory application of laws and justice and moral shaming of people opposed to them, as if they themselves were blameless and upright.
Globally, the conflicts abound because of the very same pride, self-righteousness and entitlements that those with the means and power exercise over the rest of the world. Pride by showing off what their resources can do to emasculate those who have less in life.
The desire to show off one’s invincibility and arrogate possessions and influence over human rights and people’s dignity has resulted in abandoning the rule of law and respect for individual rights of nations and of people for freedom and democracy.
People have forgotten that in God’s eyes, everyone is equal– no rich, no poor, no powerful, no powerless and that only God is the dispenser of justice and grace. For when we all perish, we leave everything behind– no material possessions, no influence, no power. From dust we came, to dust we return.