Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 150

The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;
it does not rest till it reaches its goal,
nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds,
judges justly and affirms the right,
and the Lord will not delay.

Back in the 1960’s the drama department at Catholic University created a play based upon the parables of Jesus. It went on to Broadway success as Godspell. I saw it at the Ford Theater in Washington DC and remember especially this story of the arrogant Pharisee and the humble publican. While the woman who portrayed the Pharisee was broadly comical, the “publican” begged for God’s mercy ala Richard Milhous Nixon. When the audience roared with laughter the kneeling actor thrust both hands into the air with Nixon’s awkward victory sign and his disingenuous smile. The parable invites parodies.

Christian humility begins with the contemplation of God’s humility. Adam and Eve sorely misunderstood the Lord when they aspired to “be like gods who know good and evil.”

Jesus must reveal to us the true source of power, wisdom, goodness, truth and beauty. That source is neither overwhelming nor terrifying. It is meek and humble of heart.

At the conclusion of his poem, Preludes, T.S.Eliot wrote, 

I am moved by fancies that are curled

Around these images and cling,

The notion of some infinitely gentle,

Infinitely suffering thing.

Because it is willing to suffer infinitely, humility has a deep sense of humor. It sees the absurdity of power and pretense. It knows the height and depth and grandeur of God who must take two giant steps down from infinite space just to see the Tower of Babel. 

Humility laughs at the crowd who would stone the woman at Jesus’ feet. It bends down and plays in the dirt; then scatters them with ironic encouragement, “Let him who has not sinned cast the first stone.”

The psalmist recalled the laughter of God when confronted with King David's enemies:

Kings on earth rise up
and princes plot together
against the LORD and against his anointed one:
“Let us break their shackles
and cast off their chains from us!”
 The one enthroned in heaven laughs;
 the Lord derides them,
 Then he speaks to them in his anger,
 in his wrath he terrifies them:
 “I myself have installed my king
 on Zion, my holy mountain.”

Humility, compassion, faith, humor: in the end these will bring down the mighty and lift up the lowly.