Read, Reflect, Request, Rest

Bishop Scott Bullock
The 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 26, 2025

It’s tempting to think that the point of today’s Gospel is that the Pharisee is merely prideful and ought to be considering his own faults instead of the faults of the tax collector. Except, we cannot assume that what the Pharisee says is wrong. For as a Pharisee, he would have found it exceptionally important to follow the divine law, which indeed required him to do the things about which he boasted: fasting twice a week, paying tithes on his whole income.

Meanwhile, the tax collector was likely the bad man that Pharisee sought to avoid becoming: 

• Greedy — taking his cut of the taxes collected
• Dishonest — cheating the Jewish people, collecting more than was required by the Romans
• Adulterous — working in cahoots with the Romans, the despised occupiers of the land, for whom the tax collector worked for them and made him in an analogous sense, an adulterer. 

So, it is likely that the Pharisee’s characterization of the two men was spot on: one carefully observant of the commands of God; the other wicked, greedy, dishonest, and yes, even adulterous.

What is it, then, that leads Jesus to praise the greedy, wicked, adulterous man and to condemn the sincerely observant religious man? The key to understanding Jesus’ parable are the words that begin the teaching: “Two people went up to the temple to pray.” 

For, as it turns out, only one of the men is actually praying. The Pharisee, we note, merely details all of his successes in the observance of this faith and presents them to Jesus. His prayer is about himself, not about God. On the other hand, the tax collector actually prays. He speaks to God, asking God to help him. For, above all, prayer is God-focused. It’s not us-focused. The fact that the tax collector acknowledges his sinfulness is merely a quick, shorthand way to take himself out of the center of the conversation with God, and rather focus primarily on God.

Friends, we have come here today to pray which is God-focused, not people-focused. So, may I remind you, briefly, of the classic Catholic method of prayer that is called Lectio Divina, as an example of what prayer is to be. It is a four-step method of prayer, meant to take the focus off ourselves, and put it on to God. I call the four steps: read, reflect, request, and rest.

Read — read a passage of scripture, especially the Gospels. I’d recommend, for your daily prayer, the Gospel for each day is printed on the internet, and you can find it in all kinds of places. The word of God draws us away from ourselves as the voice of God.

Next, we reflect — reflect on the meaning of the passage, particularly with the question: “What are you trying to say to me, God?” 

This is different than figuring out the passage. Instead, we let the passage figure us out. “What are you trying to say to me, God, through your word?” is the question to guide reflection.

Next, request. Ask God for what you need. The focus is on God. What do you need God to do for you? The Father wants to know the needs of our hearts.

Then finally we rest. Just sit in quiet and let God care for you. Sit, rapt and attentive and silent, at the feet of the master. This is when we let God be God, and trust that God is doing great things in my soul, even if I can’t immediately know what it is. For me, this works best in church, if possible, sitting before the Blessed Sacrament, in adoration.

Adoration is a powerful word, coming from the Latin words adoratio — ad ora — to the mouth. Literally going mouth to mouth with God as he feeds us. I’m reminded of the small bird that opens wide its mouth to receive from the mouth of its mother the food that it needs. This is adoration, our coming, with hungry mouths, to the mouth of God, to be fed.

We have come here, though without a doubt flawed and sinful before our God. Above all not to focus on ourself, but on our God. We do that through prayer: —reading, reflecting, requesting, and then resting in adoration. 

What if we gave God just one percent of our waking time, keeping the other 99 for others? This would be just about 10 minutes a day. Can I challenge you to give 10 minutes daily to prayer, just one percent of your day? This is a good standard to start a new life of prayer. Following that read, reflect, request, rest method. And surprise! When we give even a meager gift of time to God, the rest of our time is more peaceful, more joyful, more loving. Taking time out of life for prayer, we get more life out of the time that we have. Ask God to give you the desire for prayer — even one percent of your waking time. 

Now, let’s get to the rest of the Mass, so we can get to the adoration so we can be fed.