The prayers of the faithful are pleasing to the Lord!

October 26, 2025 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 
Daily Readings: Sirach 35:15b-17, 20-22a; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14

The First Reading is taken from the Book of Sirach. It is also called ‘The Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach’ or ‘The Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Eleazar’ or ‘Ecclesiasticus’. It could have been written sometime around 196-175 BCE. It is full of ethical teachings written during the Second Temple Period. In today’s text, the author speaks about the likes and dislikes of God. Our God is an impartial God and unbiased judge. He does not show partiality between the rich and the poor but He will listen to the prayers of the orphan and the one who is wronged. He gives priority to the prayers and supplications of the orphans or the widows. The tears of the widow will never go unnoticed. The prayers of the humble and those who serve the Lord with joy will reach the clouds and it will even pierce the clouds.  The Lord God, the Most High will respond without any delay. He acts upon the cry of the needy and the oppressed. He will do justice to the righteous. He is like a warrior. He will not rest in peace until he crushes the loins of the unmerciful.  

The Responsorial Psalm of the day is a song of thanksgiving for God’s providential care. It could have been written by King David after he escaped from King Achish of the Philistines at a time when David was running away from King Saul. David teaches the people of his time and subsequently to all those who read it with faith to praise God at all times and in all circumstances. It is a communal exhortation and not an act of private matter. He asks the people to magnify the Lord. To exalt His name actually means to praise His reputation and character. The Lord does not listen to the wicked but when the just cry out, the Lord listens to them and rescues them from all their distress.

The Second Reading is taken from St. Paul’s Second Letter to young Bishop Timothy. It is a Deutero-Canonical Letter besides being a Pastoral Letter. Although Paul can’t have penned this letter, the author (someone from Pauline circles) writes it as if Paul is doing it. The first part of the reading begins with the imagery of ‘libation’. It is a drink offering. It is an expression of a final act of worship. The time has come for Paul to die and he reflects on his life as worship. Then he moves on to another metaphor. It is the metaphor of a soldier who fights a good fight. He sees himself as an athlete who has successfully completed the race without losing his faith. He strongly believes that the good Lord, the righteous judge will reward him with the crown of righteousness. Anyone who loves God and longs for the coming of the Lord will receive a crown of righteousness. 

In the second part of the reading, Paul laments over the issue of being abandoned by all his companions on the day of his defense either in Ephesus or in Rome. He consoles himself with the fact that the Lord stood by him and gave him necessary strength to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. The presence of God is unwavering and ever-abiding. God is ever faithful although humans fail miserably. His experience of being rescued from lion’s mouth is another metaphor that refers to his prosecution in Ephesus/Rome. He believes that the Lord will continue to rescue him from every evil attack and protect him for the sake of heavenly kingdom. He concludes the passage with a short prayer glorifying God.

In the Gospel Reading of the day, Jesus presents a parable. The target audience of the parable is those who trusted in themselves because they were righteous and looked down upon other people with contempt. The heroes of the parable are a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee was on the top of the society as a learned, religious and pious person. The tax collector was at the bottom of the society, despised for being a collaborator of the Romans to exploit the people of Israel. The way both of them approached God teaches a big lesson to all of us, believers. 

Prayer is supposed to be an intimate moment between God and a believer.  There is no need to bring in other people unnecessarily and mock them. There is no need to make a big and long list of one’s achievements. It is a moment of humble submission to seek God’s presence in our life. Unfortunately, the Pharisee despises the tax collector and compares his life with his. He condemns the tax collector and ranks him with thieves, rogues and adulterers. Fasting twice a week and giving regular tithes are his achievements. The attitude and approach of the tax collector was totally different. He does not dare to raise his eyes to the heavens. He does not take courage to come closer to the altar. He stands far off and beats his breast and profoundly acknowledges his sinfulness and pleads for mercy: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13b). 

Jesus concludes the parable saying that tax collector went home happy as he received the fruit of his prayer while the Pharisee went home empty and with a false pride that he narrated his achievements to God. Jesus’ conclusion is “for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:14b).

Call to Action: What type of prayer I am fond of? Is my prayer verbal, silent, formal, informal or communal? What do I wish to achieve through my prayer? The answers will determine the type of relationship I have with the Lord.