Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke 18, 9-14
Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Humility above all else
1) Go up to pray. Prayer is what shapes your life. It is like your heartbeat. In prayer you can have a look at everything that happens to you during the day and in your life. You can have a constant dialogue with God. Going up to pray also implies giving yourself the time during the day to make a transcending look, a different look at your life; neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but a way of finding the meaning to everything in your life, from God’s point of view.
2) The Pharisee. We all have a part of that Pharisee in us; being a little bit arrogant and even boastful. It seems that we sometimes reproach God for what we do, and we even ask God to repay us for our acts of charity. We must seriously look at the commitment of our relationship with God; a different, deep look, one that implies to clear oneself of all spiritual and material ostentation.
3) The tax collector. He represents forgiven sinners. You and I are not better than others. We are people who sin and make mistakes, trying to walk as part of the living Church. But we must remove all labels, everything that doesn’t lead us to God, or doesn’t come from God. See how many blessings God has given you, and how many mistakes He has forgiven you for. Recently, looking back on my life as a priest, I was thinking about how many mistakes I’ve made, and yet God continues to ‘use’ me and continues to choose me as his disciple. Think about how God continues to call you in spite of all the difficulties. That’s God’s power, God’s strength is manifested through you; when he acts in you and in me: forgiven sinners.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Remember that something good is on the way!
