This Sunday we are offered another reflection from Christ about the need and importance of prayer. This time he tells a story of two men at prayer, one a Pharisee, a member of an ancient sect that held a strict observance of Moses’ Law, and the other a tax collector. Tax collecting in the ancient world of Palestine was seen as a shameful practice since the Jewish people were under Roman occupation and those who collected pagan taxes were considered sellouts or pariahs and many were indeed corrupt. We see both men praying and while the actual practice of prayer is happening, the quality and sincerity of that prayer is what Jesus focuses on.
Last week, I wrote about the simple need to pray, whatever that prayer is; this week we focus on the quality of prayer. In the parable Jesus seems to side with the tax collector because his prayer is much more sincere. Furthermore, Jesus kind of puts out the thought that if you’re praying just to check a box off or because you feel it is an obligation, you’re not really praying. This can be hard for people like me who struggle with prayer. We can feel that we ought to pray more than we are or that we are not doing it correctly. Take comfort! Jesus says desire is a start. Just desiring to be closer is a type of simple prayer. Also, making things prayerful is an interesting door from which to enter the life of faith. I’m thinking of this little quote I found underlined in one of my favorite books by my hero Dorothy Day. She writes, “Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again.”
Recently, I’ve been learning to bake bread. It is very calming and helps me organize my thoughts. I find the process very prayerful too, or at least it leads me to prayer. So let us be encouraged to find something that will help us not only pray, but lead us to a better, more sincere prayer, and when we’re ready, hopefully we can be as sincere as the tax collector and take up the sock again.
I’ll be seeing you,
Elliot