30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Even though we had some beautiful days this week, some mornings were cool. They are a harbinger that winter is on its way. I needed to drive off Cape this week and was a little surprised to see how far along the fall foliage has gotten just a little ways inland. Since we have so many pine trees and scrub oaks around here, it is sometimes hard to see the advance of fall. Any time now, we will get our first frost, and the growing season will come to an end. The trees and shrubs will enter their dormant season, and the plant world in our area will become inactive until spring.

The Gospel parable today asks us if our spiritual growing season has ended, or is it just beginning? Are we over and done growing in our relationship with God, or are we only getting started? For the Pharisee, it appears his spiritual growing season has ended. We must not paint the Pharisee as too much of a villain. He is a good person and is trying to do what is right. In many ways, he shows he is trying to live righteously. As he comes to prayer, he is first of all thankful. He recognizes God has been generous to him, and he is, in turn, trying to be generous and upright in every way.

He tells God how generous he is and how he goes above and beyond what is expected of him in his religious practice. He tithes more to the Temple than is required under the Law. He is prayerful and takes obedience to the Law seriously. Faithful Jews were only required to fast once a year on the Day of Atonement. This Pharisee goes above and beyond and fasts twice a week. In every way, he appears to be a good person.

But he has stopped growing in faith and spiritual life. His spiritual life has become dormant, and the word “I” fills his prayers. He takes full credit for all his goodness and generosity, and he credits himself and his power for his faithfulness. He doesn’t seem to need God’s help or grace to live a life of faith. He can do it on his own, thank you very much!

The Pharisee’s faith has grown dormant because he shows a lack of compassion. He is quick to condemn others who are not as faithful as himself. He is self-righteous and never speaks of his need to rely on God or God’s grace in his life. He is quick to tell God what God already knows about his life. The Pharisee’s prayer is one of self-congratulations. He thinks he has everything under control and can handle life just fine without God’s help. His faith life is over its growth and lies dormant.

On the other hand, there is no disputing that the tax collector is an evil man. He is a despicable character in the Biblical world. As a tax collector, he is a social, religious, and political outcast in the society of Jesus’ day. He was a political and social outcast because he collaborated in the Roman Empire’s unjust occupation. He was religiously unclean and had no place in the community’s faith life. His behavior was bad before entering the Temple, and he does not indicate it will be any better when he leaves. In this parable, he shows no outward signs of conversion and makes no promise to change his life or mend his ways. He makes no effort to pay back any of his ill-gotten gains.

Yet, he appears to possibly be at the very beginning of his season of spiritual growth. His faith shows signs of coming out of dormancy. To begin with, he dares to go to the Temple, even though he knows he is considered unclean and likely to be scorned by the faithful. He goes there to be in the presence of God. The tax collector knows only God can change him, and he recognizes he must start by getting honest with himself and God. He is in the Temple to worship so he can begin to change through God’s grace.

The tax collector shows signs of possibly wanting to grow spiritually by recognizing he needs God in his life. He knows he has shortcomings and sins and must ask God for pardon and mercy. The tax collector shows many signs of his openness to God and desires to grow spiritually.

The apostle Paul, the author of today’s reading from the 2nd Letter to Timothy, saw himself like the characters in this parable. The Book of Acts and Paul’s letters tell us that Paul was a Pharisee well-versed in the Law and dedicated to fulfilling it. In one of Paul’s letters, he admits that he felt that he had grown just about as thoroughly as he could spiritually. With the confidence he was doing God’s will, Paul set out to persecute the Church. God wasn’t done with Paul, though. God called Paul out of his dormancy. On the road to Damascus, God showed Paul he had some spiritual growth to accomplish yet. After meeting Jesus, Paul understood even he always needed continued spiritual growth. As we hear in today’s reading, even at the end of his life, he sees God calling him to grow spiritually.

I’m happy to say I’m finding many parishioners here at Holy Redeemer beginning to realize that too. Many of you are awakening from a spiritual dormancy. Back before the pandemic, we conducted a parish survey. Surveys don’t only determine parishioners’ likes, dislikes, and desires, but they also help show needs that the respondents might not even recognize. The survey asked several questions about members of the parish’s interest in adult faith formation opportunities such as Bible study, a parish mission, or small group experiences. Sadly, the vast majority of people expressed no interest. Most of you were like the Pharisee in today’s Gospel and were satisfied with your faith. You were in a spiritual dormancy.

That isn’t a surprise because change is frightening for most people, and we know that once change starts, it can snowball. One change leads to another, and there is no telling where it will lead us, and most people are comfortable right where they are. I wasn’t discouraged by the lack of interest. Instead, I recognized the need to work to help parishioners come out of their feelings of dormancy to grow in faith.

Then the pandemic came along and changed everything. Everyone was experiencing so many changes and forced to accept them regardless of how we felt. In response, the parish started distributing adult education emails using Flocknotes to help the parish stay together and grow in faith. The emails are having an effect, awakening many parishioners from spiritual dormancy. More than half of recipients open the weekly emails we send and use them to grow in faith. Many parishioners are discovering a desire to come out of dormancy and move closer to God after all. If you aren’t receiving Flocknotes, send us a request via email, and we’ll see to it that you begin to get them so they can help you grow in faith.

Today we are asked whether we are like the Pharisees and feel our spiritual development is complete or like the tax collector trying to get on track with God. Hopefully, all of us will see the need to grow spiritually. Hopefully, we will heed God’s call to come out of dormancy and continue the life-long process of growing in faith. We are good people, but we all have room to grow in the faith because we are not as good as God.

Maybe you were drawn to Church today because you seek a relationship with God but feel like the tax collector. You took the chance to come here today to see if maybe, just maybe, a loving and merciful God wants to have a relationship with you. You were right. Jesus invites you to a relationship with Him. All Jesus asks is for us to admit our need for God and to start a relationship with Him through daily prayer. This week maybe we should all make our prayer the tax collector’s prayer; “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Today Jesus calls us to come out of our spiritual dormant season. He calls us to be open to continually growing in our love of God. In a few minutes, we will enter the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the communion we share, Christ will give us the grace we need to overcome our feelings of spiritual dormancy and flourish in our faith.