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. Self-righteousness. This haughty attitude has made us pay dearly within the Church because many people have left the Church because of our attitudes of believing that we are the best, that we have everything under control in life and even believing that we have no sins or only minor ones. We all have a part of that Pharisee in us; being a little bit arrogant and even boastful. This can also happen to you, to think of yourself as righteous, while despising others. You have to be careful with that, because many people are hurt because some of us in the Church show ourselves as saints before sinners. It’s funny, but there are people who are completely convinced that just because they comply with religious norms they are better than others. Life has taught me that this is not so. 2. They went up to pray. Prayer is what shapes your life. It’s like your heartbeat. This Lent you should take time to reflect on your prayer life – this constant dialogue with God. Do you have a little moment with God every day? In prayer you can have a look at the things that happen to you during the day and in your life and you can talk to God about everything. You can go into your room and talk to Him. Today tell Jesus about your life; maybe you can recall those moments when you saw God’s hand in your life. We always tend to remember the sad moments, much more than the beautiful ones. Today, in your prayer go back to those beautiful moments, as a way of finding the meaning to everything in your life, from God’s point of view. And then take it to Mass. 3. To beat one’s chest. This is a gesture which should represent us, forgiven sinners. It means recognizing our sin and our mistakes, and looking at the opportunity that God is constantly giving us in life. We must try to keep walking as part of the living Church, but we must remove everything that doesn’t lead us to God or doesn’t come from him. You must strive to live life in God’s path, not only because there are people who love you dearly but mainly because you are worth a lot. We are all sinners. Recently, looking back on my life as a priest, I was thinking about my many sins, and yet God continues to ‘use’ me and continues to choose me as his disciple. Because, you know, Jesus teaches you that God will go on calling you in spite of all the difficulties; He continues to come to you so that you can move ahead, go out and trust him more. Today we, forgiven sinners, humbly come to ask for peace, which is priceless; and a proud heart will never find it. Remember that something good is on the way! God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
