Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Intro

Infection, a tiny bit corrupts the whole.

invisible little virus or bacteria breathed in, and now sick.

Being good is just one thing according to Christ

a little yeast corrupts the whole.

one vice, one sin, and one can no longer be good

they all become infected.

yet don’t we see all the time?

shouldn’t we say a person who does mostly good things is good?

examples

how can say?

Readings

2 went to pray

Obviously pride ruins the otherwise very good pharisee

1 Cor 5:6 in reference to boasting (fairly light thing it seems): a little yeast corrupteth the whole.

lets imagine as if Jesus were speaking to our times

b/c supposed to recognize pharisee is pretty darn good (heal israel, and live a holy life) and tax collector is normally really bad, traitor

miss that b/c not our historical context

How about EMS and drug dealers

describe

EMS exalts self, trusts self w/o God

here I am saving people, spend long hours, low pay, often put self in dangerous situations. thanks not like other people, especially that drug dealer over there

in Greek it says he “prays to himself” and says “God”

his very prayer is a sin

makes self independent of God

literally cuts self off from God relying on his own deeds for holiness

Drug dealer humbles self

asks propitiate (translated be merciful); atone for my sin

no such request from EMS worker

The drug dealer is now more justified.

Hope that has sting

Is point that drug dealer has been a good guy and ems been particularly nasty one, NO!

point is one is renouncing his sins and other is not recognizing he is sinning even in prayer.

b/c of pride he leaves corrupted

at least the drug dealer is seeking forgiveness for all sins

the EMS worker returns home infected, the drug dealer clean.

but one sin corrupts the whole, and only one washed.

Argument

What does it mean to be good?

Scripture: Great commandment (all else follow)

Since God is goodness itself, cleaning to goodness itself above all is to be good.

What does it mean to be bad?

to be corrupted.

even clinging to something else equally or above goodness is to have some corruption, however slight, and since to be corrupted is to be bad.... then the slightest of faults is to be bad.

even the phrase mostly good means just that ...‘mostly, but not all, and therefore corrupted.’

certainly relatively some are more corrupt, but both are

not innocence, but degrees of guilt.

The weight

fine then, corrupt, obviously...

but such things can be light. After all the EMS worker is practically perfect in our situation, he just thought to give himself a bit of self-worship for his good deeds.

a little? see this is the magnitude of sin we forget.

A little goes a long way. A little corrupts the whole.

by relying on himself he makes himself out to be God. We replace God, goodness itself, with something else whenever we sin.

all else but God is finite, so to call the finite infinite is quite literally, infinitely wrong.

all sin is infinitely wrong

to put in perspective, St. Anselm says in the middle ages it is better to let all multiverses (all universes) perish than to deliberately do even the lightest of sin, because an offense against god is infinite and all else, however great is limited.

the slightest fault logically deserves everlasting punishment, but those living in the murky sewers of sin arent easily going to see how life could even be without sin.

God help us!

well that’s the whole point.

two went to pray

only one called on God

although that drug dealer has a lot to make up for, only he has hope

imagine the beauty of the EMS worker over the drug dealer if he called on God?!?!

the gates of heaven would practically open up like automatic doors for him

but at this point in history his pride weighs him below even the repentant sinner who has lived the life of the prodigal son.

Christ might tell us today the shocking and seemingly absurd phrase: some drug dealers, scam callers, and politicians are entering the kingdom of heaven before EMS workers.

the father would readily help both in our modern parable, but only one bothered to ask.

Conclusion

The slightest sin weighs us down

like a virus breathed in it corrupts your whole being

There is only one cure, only one who pays the infinite price: the divine physician who is infinite. Let us call on him in prayer not trusting our own righteousness, however relatively better it might be than our neighbor, but recognizing all must rely on Goodness Himself.

Notes

Possible ideas

WE DO NOT KNOW OUR HEART except that we are imperfect, and if perfect we would exalt self

God as judge (pharisee trying to get good judgment)

Pray is relation to God [how is pharisee relating: ‘look at me Lord, im great’]

grace vs works

became justified, not was justified. Better that humbled and righteous.

Exalting self is always evil

give up this, give up that, last thing to give up IS SELF

sinner in past gave up all, but pharisee holds on to one

Not realizing reality but reading too much into it

Said this pray to who? Himself! who he calls God.

this is pride

first of command violated

BOTH SINNERS, only one gets forgiveness.

“Propitiate me”

Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 28th Edition Chapter 18

ἱλάσθητί

Church Fathers + Greek

asks God for nothing

To be prideful is to deny God’s role

pride sends back to self