WE ALL HAVE A CHOICE
Last Sunday’s Gospel is one of my favourites. The Pharisee and the Tax
Collector is a great Gospel read with a wonderful message. Like many of
Jesus’ stories it always has a message to do with CHOICE.
The choice in this story is whether we allow the Eucharist to affect us and
change us or whether we tick the box of having done our so called duty.
The Pharisee did what he had to do and was probably more contented in
knowing others saw him who were sitting in the temple. On the other hand the
poor tax collector was present to his heart and in humility and asked the Lord
for mercy.
When we come to share in the Eucharist we are invited to open our hearts to
receive the graces God has for us. Being present in this case is not about patting
ourselves on the back as if we are superior to others.
This Gospel is a wonderful Gospel to stop us in our tracks and to assess our
motives for why we live the Christian life.
Perhaps these quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Monk, will help us
reflect further on this short but incredibly insightful Gospel.
‘If you are not yet able to love yourself, you will not be able to love your
enemy. But when you are able to love yourself, you can love anyone. When you
do this, you will see that your so called enemy is not more or less than a human
being who is suffering.’
‘When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within
himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he
needs help. That's the message he is sending.’
‘Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can
be the source of your joy.’
‘To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others.
You need to accept yourself.’
‘Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of
compassion.’

2

‘When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce.
You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water,
or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our
friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care
of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at
all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument. That is my
experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you
understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation
will change’
‘Many people think excitement is happiness.... But when you are excited you
are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.’
‘Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.
If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions - we
cannot be free.’

‘Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the
present moment I know this is the only moment.’
‘Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to
bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.’

‘Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world
earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.’
In conclusion, after reflecting, which person are we in this Gospel passage?

Are we the Pharisee in this Gospel?
Are we the Tax collector in this Gospel?
Or, are we both?

Edward Dooley (Mission and Faith Leader)