Luke 18, 9-14:
Sunday, 23rd October 2022 (30th T O C)
Another wake-up call from Jesus, who invites us to reflect on our attitude in life and on our prayer. He does so with a parable: Two men go to the temple to pray. A Pharisee, who keeps all the commandments, is righteous, does not steal or kill, contributes and gives alms… Full of his own holiness. He has nothing to ask forgiveness for. He despises the other who is sinful. He does not love. The other is a publican, a public sinner, who acknowledges his bad life. He feels that he is a sinner before God and hopes for his mercy. He has faith.
Pride versus humility. Jesus says that this one is saved and the other is not.
This would be a good time to examine our attitude. Do I tend to seek justification for my actions? With what attitude do I present myself before God? Do I consider myself “better” than others? Jesus asks us to “be perfect like our heavenly Father”, not to believe it. If only we could, like St. Paul, say: “I have fought my battle well, I have run to the end, I have kept the faith”. We would be close to attaining his crown.
Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual, cmf
Pride or humility?
