• HOME
  • WHO WE ARE
    • History
    • Dominican Spirituality
    • Life and Mission
    • Associates
      • Ireland
      • South Africa
      • Associates Stories
        • Mary Mc Crae
        • Niamh Smith
        • Janice Mc Garry
    • Dominican Saints
      • Saint Dominic
      • Thomas Aquinas
      • Saint Catherine
      • Fra Angelico
      • St. Agnes of Montepulciano
      • St. John Macias
      • A poem for Jubilee Year
    • Books
    • Child Safeguarding Policy
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Ecology
      • An Tairseach- Dominican Farm and Ecology Centre
      • 2022 – Programme of events
    • Justice
    • Education
      • Dominican Ethos in Schools
      • Secondary Schools ROI
      • Secondary Schools NI
      • Primary Schools
      • Special Schools
      • Third Level
      • Lumen Dominican Centre Sion Hill
        • Lumen Dominican Centre
    • Sacred Preaching Space
    • Ecumenism
    • Pastoral Care
    • Other Ministries
  • WHERE WE ARE
    • Ireland
    • North America – Louisiana
    • Latin America
    • South Africa
    • Portugal
      • Archives
  • VOCATIONS
    • Becoming a Dominican Sister
    • Vocation Stories
      • Sr Margaret MacCurtain OP
      • Sr Bridget O’Driscoll OP
      • Sr Francis Cosgrove OP
      • Sr. Aedris Coates OP
      • Sr. Margaret Kelly OP
      • Sr. Joan O’Donovan OP
      • Sr Sabine Schratz OP
      • Sr. Liz Smyth OP
      • Sr. Eileen O’Connell
      • Sr. Edel Murphy OP
      • Sr. Kathleen Fitzsimons OP
      • Sr. Rose McLarnon OP
      • Sr. Eileen McCarthy OP
  • SAFEGUARDING
    • Child Safeguarding Policy
    • Child Safeguarding Statement
    • Contact Details
  • TV
    • NEWS
      • ChurchTV
      • Photo Gallery
  • CONTACT
    • GDPR
    • Data Retention and Erasure Policy
    • Privacy Notice
    • Web Privacy Statement
    • User Agreement
    • Cookie Policy
facebook
twitter

Recent

13
OCT
2013

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

by : Céline Mangan
comment : 0

30th

Thirtieth Sunday of the Year – Mission Sunday

The opening verse of today’s gospel about people “who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else” sets the scene for the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. It is really a question of self-knowledge: if we were to say “thank God I’m not like that Pharisee anyhow” maybe we really are! The parable is all about the belief that we can achieve righteousness by our own efforts. In the Greco-Roman world of the time a virtuous/righteous person was one who kept the laws and legal customs – what we might call a decent person. Often today such a person is called a good Christian. But in the Hebrew Scriptures the person who was righteousness was one who acted in right relationship with God, with other people and the world around. Sin, for Jesus, was not so much about broken laws as about broken relationships.

The Pharisee, by despising those around him (standing apart, looking down on the tax collector who was certainly one who broke the Law in the Pharisee’s book), was self-righteous, not accepting that righteousness is a gift from God. The tax collector recognised this fully. The parable has him beating his breast, something a man of the time would never do in public. He asks for God’s mercy, a word that in the context meant asking that God would make atonement (at-one-ment) for him: he recognises that he is not God’s friend as he is, but he longs to be at one with God. He does not compare himself with others, as the Pharisee does, but looks into his own heart, putting his trust in God rather than in his own efforts.

So, to the amazement of those around, Jesus says that it was the tax collector who went home at rights with God. They would have expected that if he did go home at rights with God it would have been because of the prayers of the “good” Pharisee!

St. Catherine of Siena spoke of the importance of self-knowledge in the search for God: “As the soul comes to know herself she also knows God better, for she sees how good he has been to her. In the gentle mirror of God she sees her own dignity; that through no merit of hers but by his creation she is the image of God. And in the mirror of God’s goodness she sees as well her own unworthiness, the work of her own sin.” (Dialogue 13).

Sr Celine Mangan O.P

About the Author
Céline Mangan, OP is currently Associate Professor of the Milltown Institute, Dublin, where she has recently completed a course on Contextual Approaches to the Bible. She has contributed to many journals, especially to Scripture in Church and has wide experience in giving talks, workshops and courses to a variety of groups.

Social Share

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

captcha *

Sr Columbia OP - Reflection for a Nun's Life Ministry

April 01, 2021

Advent Calendar' - a poem by Dr Rowan Williams narrated by Sr Eileen O Connell OP

December 14, 2020

In Memory Of Our Deceased Sisters November 19-November 2020

November 29, 2020
  • Posts
  • Categories
  • Tags
  • Video highlighting the work done by Dominican Sisters in Slovakia
  • Summer Retreats by the Sea and Yoga at Anam Ashram
  • Hope House Spring Journal
  • Congratulations on the Official Opening of Our Lady of Hope School
  • Anam Ashram Newsletter 2022
  • Dominican Month for Peace – December 2021
  • Graduation ceremony in Moreno National University on 28th October 2021
  • On bends in the road (From Blog of Sr. Eileen O’Connell OP)
  • Prayer of the Faithful for Mission Sunday
  • Celebrating the Month of Creation in Galway
  • An Tairseach (29)
  • Dominican Associates (3)
  • Dominican News (263)
  • Education (75)
  • Events (88)
  • Good News (78)
  • Highlights (26)
  • Home Page Slider (18)
  • Ireland (80)
  • Justice (68)
  • Latin America (29)
  • Louisiana (17)
  • News (393)
  • Our Regions (8)
  • Poems (5)
  • Portugal (14)
  • Prayers (17)
  • Proclaiming (7)
  • Professions (4)
  • Reflections (12)
  • Rest Of The World (5)
  • Sacred Space (4)
  • South Africa (23)
  • Stories (21)
  • Uncategorized (284)
  • Vatican II- Remembering (7)
  • Vocations (14)
  • Women Preachers (12)
Dominican Women South Africa Reflection Vatican II Mission and Ministry God An Tairseach Baptism Art Chaplain Hello Logo Pauline Hospital Portugal Louisiana Ireland Mindfulness in Education Froebel College of Education The Woman at the Well Lay participation in Parish Life Compassion illness RIP Rest In Peace Mary Magdalen Spring

Twitter

  • RT @BA_McShane: Join me in conversation with Alan Hayes of @ArlenHouse on Saturday to pay tribute to the late, great Dr Margaret MacCurtain… over a year ago
  • RT @rogerchilds2u: @sinead_mccoole @UCC @DominicanSrsCab @UCDHistory @burnslibrary @ArlenHouse Thank you for such an elegant, touching and… over a year ago
  • RT @sinead_mccoole: Dr Margaret MacCurtain's life spanned 9 decades, 1000s of lives were enriched @UCC @DominicanSrsCab @UCDHistory @burnsl… over a year ago

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary time July 3rd 2022

June 27, 2022

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time 26th June 2022

June 22, 2022

Corpus Christi 19th June 2022

June 13, 2022

Trinity Sunday (13th June 2022)

June 07, 2022

Pentecost Sunday 5th June 2022

May 30, 2022

Seventh Sunday Easter (29th May 2022)

May 24, 2022

Search Our Site

Recent Posts

  • Video highlighting the work done by Dominican Sisters in Slovakia
  • Summer Retreats by the Sea and Yoga at Anam Ashram
  • Hope House Spring Journal
  • Congratulations on the Official Opening of Our Lady of Hope School
  • Anam Ashram Newsletter 2022

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary time July 3rd 2022

June 27, 2022

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time 26th June 2022

June 22, 2022

Corpus Christi 19th June 2022

June 13, 2022

Trinity Sunday (13th June 2022)

June 07, 2022

Pentecost Sunday 5th June 2022

May 30, 2022

Seventh Sunday Easter (29th May 2022)

May 24, 2022

Dominican Links

  • Dominican Ecology Centre
  • Dominican Contemplative Nuns at the Monastery of St Catherine of Siena
  • Order of Preachers
  • Dominican Friars
  • AMRI
  • Lay Dominicans Ireland

Our Ministries

  • Dominican Ecology Centre
  • Contemplative Outreach
  • Dominican Sisters International
  • Irish Archives Resource

Contact Us

  1. Name *
    * Please enter your name
  2. Email *
    * Please enter a valid email address
  3. Message *
    * Please enter message
Copyright © 2020 Dominican Sisters Cabra. All Rights Reserved. Please click GDPR Information.
Web DesignbyOrbit Technologies
 

Loading Comments...