Where is our Righteousness?

 Reflection on Today’s Readings, Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent, March 26th, 2022 Texts: Hosea 6:1-6; Psalm 51:3-4,18-21; Luke 18:9-14 

Sometimes we may be too full of ourselves that we lose contact with God; we are pious but no longer fear Him because we no longer experience the awe-inspiring nature of God that often makes us realise how little and sinful we are before Him and that it is by His mercy we are qualified to stand before him. The Pharisee, in Jesus’ parable in today’s gospel reading, is a good example of such people who are pious but have lost contact with God. He believes he could run the race of salvation with his own effort and thus brags of his deeds before God. It is said  “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’” Notice what he thanked God for: that he was better than others. We could see that he was a sadist who took pleasure in other’s bad state; he had no love for others. He condemned others and justified himself; that is self-righteousness.  Where is our righteousness and strength? For us, we have no righteousness of our own; we have the righteousness of God. St. Paul puts it thus: “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption“ (1Cor. 1:30). Prophet Isaiah says, “They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength‘” (45:24). Our righteousness and strength are of the Lord, not our own. It is possible that I am like the Pharisee. It is also possible that you are like him. Prophet Hosea reminds us, in today’s first reading, that our situation is not beyond redemption; we can still be redeemed. He says, “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us; he has stricken, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” All we have to do is to return to God and He will heal us, redeem and save us. We have to rediscover the awe-inspiring nature of God and acknowledge our unworthiness to stand before Him; we are only enjoying His mercy and as such we have to be compassionate and merciful to others as God is to us. We have to recognise that it is by God’s grace we are able to perform those pious deeds such as fasting, paying tithes, receiving Holy Communion, attending Holy Mass, etc. There are some who wanted to perform those acts but they were unable. Everything we do we do them by the strength of God, not by our strength. 

Rejoicing in this annual celebration of our Lenten observance, we pray, O Lord, that with our hearts set on the paschal mysteries, we may be gladdened by their full effects. Amen (Collect) 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke