9 Jesus also told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else. 10 “Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, ‘I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. 12 I fast two days a week, and I give you a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, ‘God, have pity on me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you,” said Jesus, “the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For all who make themselves great will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be made great.”
Other readings: Eccl 35:12-14, 16-19; Ps 34:1-2, 16-18, 22; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18
LECTIO
Jesus told this parable originally “to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else” (verse 9). That is the key to understanding this passage.
Much of Jesus’s teaching in Luke’s Gospel opens the doors of the Kingdom of God to let in sinners who are willing to repent. By contrast, the Pharisees seem set on keeping sinners out.
Jesus uses the behaviour of the Pharisee and the tax collector to make his point clear. For the people gathered around Jesus, the characteristics of the two personalities he is using are well known.
The Pharisees are considered the “professionals” when it comes to prayer. What they didn’t know about religious law and how to observe it wasn’t worth knowing. They were officially “good”.
But the tax collector is assumed to be corrupt – what else could he be since he was colluding with the pagan Romans occupying their country? Tax collectors were the puppets of the Roman authorities; they collected taxes from their own people and made themselves rich in the process by taking far more tax than they should.
As the parable unfolds, Jesus’s purpose in using these two characters becomes clearer. The Pharisee prays in a proud, boastful way, only seeing what he does right and others do wrong. He forgets to confess his sins. The tax collector does the opposite. He knows he needs God’s forgiveness, and in acknowledging his sinfulness before God he is ready and able to receive God’s forgiveness and grace. The Pharisee is not and so does not receive God’s grace.
We are challenged in the same way. Every single person has sinned and each one needs God’s forgiveness.
The Pharisees actually sought to bring a religious renewal among the Jews of Jesus’s own time. Sadly, they failed to accept Jesus’s message. They did not see him as the one sent by God to save humanity. They opposed Jesus, seeing him as an impostor, and refused to believe in him.
MEDITATIO
Consider the reasons why God hates sin. What is your attitude to sin in your own life? Do you take it seriously and seek forgiveness? Or do you excuse it, or compare yourself with others and think you are better than them?
Consider 1 John 1:8-9: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.”
Do you ask for pardon for your sins? Catholics know that they can confess their sins to their priest and receive forgiveness from God.
We can easily fall into the trap of judging others who fall short of our own standards. Why is this dangerous? How can we avoid it? What attitude should we have?
ORATIO
Reflect on today’s Gospel reading. Let God reveal any areas of sin that you need to put right. Consider whether you have taken God’s forgiveness for granted. Give thanks for God’s mercy and acknowledge your dependence on him.
CONTEMPLATIO
Use Psalms 34 and 51 to enrich your time with God today. Consider his great faithfulness and mercy.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.