30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 26, 2025

Spiritual Arrogance and True Humility

Luke 18:9-14

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

First Impressions by Jude Siciliano, OP

Is Jesus ben Sirach contradicting himself in today’s first reading? The opening line reads, “The Lord is a God of justice, who knows no favorites, though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet God hears the cry of the oppressed.” But the rest of the reading reveals a very partial God who has taken a very definite stand and turned a favoring ear toward “the oppressed...orphan...widow and the lowly.” God does seem to have favorites, and they are not the ones our society calls “favored.” Sirach wrote in Hebrew around 180 BCE and fifty years later his work was translated into Greek for a dispersed Jewish community in a Hellenistic culture. He speaks to basic issues, particularly the inequalities in society. For those who see their comfort and riches as a blessing from God for their good deeds and social status, Sirach espouses another perspective. God has not favored the rich, no matter what visible signs they might point to of God’s seeming approval. If anything, God has chosen to take the side of the poor and to pay special attention to the prayer of the lowly—hence this reading’s connection to today’s gospel. Sirach suggests that if God is to be found standing with the poor and those treated unjustly, then we had better take more than a few steps in that direction ourselves. Justice requires that those who can, should help those who cannot. Diane Bergant [with Richard Fragomeni, Preaching the New Lectionary. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2000.] points out the original Greek suggests that God not only hears the cry of the oppressed, God does more – God yields to their requests. “It’s almost as if God is bound to respond positively to them. As a covenant partner God is accountable to them, especially when other covenant partners disregard their responsibilities” (page 397). The surprise in both this first reading and the gospel is that those considered unacceptable in social and religious circles are the very ones whose prayer is heard – their prayer is “proper.” Today’s gospel teaches us a lot about prayer. First, prayer doesn’t have to be long. Both men in the parable prayed very brief prayers. (I had a theology teacher once who said prayer can be very, very short----“Help!”.) But each man’s prayer was very different. In his brief prayer the Pharisee said “I” four times. While he seems to thank God for his goodness, he really is patting himself on the back. In his view he is singular and unique. He thanks God for his not being like “the rest of humanity, greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector.” In his own eyes he is a completed product. There is little room in him to be changed by his prayer. He might have said prayers, but he didn’t pray because he didn’t see any need to change. There was no space for God to enter his life. On the other hand, we don’t hear the word “I” from the tax collector. He refers to himself by using “me”—“O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” “I”—“Me” What’s the difference? One (“I”) is the subject of the sentence, the cause of the action. The other (“ME) is the object, the recipient of another’s action. The tax collector can’t achieve mercy on his own, he reveals his need and desire for God to do something for him. He wants to be changed, and he trusts that God will help him make the necessary change in his life. What must have shocked those who heard this parable is how radical it is. The Pharisee is not a bad person, he is doing everything he should have been doing, he is completely dedicated to living the law’s demands. In fact, he goes beyond what was required in religious law. He is offering a prayer of thanksgiving to God for his personal exemplary behavior. As someone working for the Roman occupation, the tax collector’s life would have been considered an abomination, a betrayal to Israel and her God. But God sets this sinner right, does what the people thought observance of the law would do – God justifies the sinner. What got the tax collector right with God had nothing to do with strict observance of the law or a righteous public life. God accepted this sinner because he confessed his sin and hoped in God’s mercy. When it comes right down to it, we are better off trusting in God’s mercy than in our own efforts and what God might “owe” us in return. Like the two men, we have come into this temple today to pray. Like the tax collector we recognize that we are not complete. We know we need to move over and leave room for God to continue shaping and molding us. What is in our hearts? Where do we need to make necessary changes in our lives? What are our desires and what are our limitations? We admit today that we are “works in progress,” we admit our need for change and so we take prayerful positions before God. Unlike the Pharisee, we don’t have to compare ourselves to others. We just have to be ourselves and be as honest with God as he was. God sees the empty spaces that need filling and the sins that need mercy. Who knows what work God be doing in us at this Eucharist today? Who knows what changes might come about when we put ourselves in God’s hands today? We might find ourselves:

• withholding criticism
• giving one another the benefit of the doubt
• letting judgment pass into God’s hands
• forgetting the past mistakes and offenses of others
• willing to be surprised by another’s growth in goodness

In short, we might find ourselves letting go of our fixed notions and positions and giving another person space and time to grow. If God changes us in prayer today, we just might find ourselves enabling others to change. What good does prayer do? Does it change God, or does it change us? The gospel today says the tax collector went home “Justified” - changed. That means he was in right relationship with God. Something had changed in him through his prayer. If we are not changed by our prayers then perhaps we haven’t acknowledged God as the subject of our prayer and ourselves as the recipients of God’s actions–the way the tax collector did. We may have said our prayers, but there is more to prayer than just words.

Justice Bulletin Board by Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted—Psalm 34:19

When he was alive, Pope Francis frequently spoke profoundly to the pain and anguish that is prevalent among so many of God’s children. To a group of poor people receiving assistance from local Catholic charities, he said, “Many of you have been stripped by this savage world, which doesn’t provide work, which doesn’t help, to which it makes no difference that children die of hunger.” The Pope mourned the African immigrants killed in the sinking of a boat near the southern Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, “It doesn’t matter [to the world] that people must flee slavery and hunger in search of liberty.” “With how much pain, so often, we see that they find death,” he said. “This is a day of weeping. The spirit of the world does these things.” In one of his meetings with young patients at a hospital, many of whom were confined to wheelchairs and with the room resounding with their cries and moans, he reflected, “We are among the wounds of Jesus. Jesus is hidden in these kids, in these children, in these people. On the altar we adore the flesh of Jesus, in them we find the wounds of Jesus.” More recently, our new Pope Leo XIV reaffirms that “in our world bearing deep scars of conflict, inequality, environmental degradation, and a growing sense of spiritual disconnection,” it is crucial for Christians to continue working and praying together. (2025 Ecumenical Week) It is human to want to flee pain but as Christians, we must turn toward the pain of this world. Like firefighters that run toward a fire, we must do our part to stop the fire of suffering, for the love of Christ, for the love of our sisters and brothers in Christ. The task is too big, you say. God is not asking you to conquer everything that is broken but to discover your own humanity in the face of so much suffering; to allow God to work through your efforts to make lives more whole. We have many caring ministries here at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral that assist the brokenhearted and downtrodden. You have only to go to our website at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral to find a social justice ministry that could use your talents. Then contact me at socialconcern@hnojnc.org. Be close to the brokenhearted and you will find yourself close to God.

Faith Book — Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Gospel reading: 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.”

Reflection: Some people think our prayer can change God’s mind. Actually, true prayer will change us. But there was no chance that the Pharisee’s prayer would have any transformative effect on him. He seems to think that his extra good life has earned him the reward of salvation. But, in the end, the tax collector is the one who is put right with God because he turned to God for mercy.

So, we ask ourselves:

• When we pray, how much of our time is spent in saying “Thank you” to God?

• If, in our daily prayer we started by listing the things we were thankful for, what effect do you think that would have on our relationship with God? With others?

• When we pray, how much of our time is spent in saying “Thank you” to God?

• If, in our daily prayer we started by listing the things we were thankful for, what effect do you think that would have on our relationship with God? With others?

Some thoughts on today’s scripture

• This parable, addressed to some proud and arrogant people, was meant to sting.

• Can I get in touch with the power of Jesus’ rebuke?

• Do I hear the call to a different way of living?

• What does it say to me?

• The contrast between Pharisee and publican has entered so deeply into our culture that it is sometimes reversed, and people are more anxious to hide at the back of the church than to be in the front pews.

• How does the story hit me? I would hate to be the object of people’s contempt. But Lord, if they knew me as you do, they might be right to feel contempt. And I have no right to look down on those whose sins are paraded in the media. Be merciful to me.

• What would you like to boast to God about? Let’s be honest. There are times when we want to tell him how good we are, or the good we have done. We may look down on others’ moral or spiritual life. This is just human. But it’s not to be the end of the story of our relationship with God. We look on what is good in ourselves and know that all is gift; both our talents and what we have made of them. We end up with the prayer of the taxman - cover me O Lord with your mercy, for, with all my good deeds and intentions, there is a deeply sinful side of me which needs your mercy.

• To know oneself as a humble child of God, dependent on God for everything, is a grace to be asked for in prayer. The tax collector is a more attractive person, despite his job which was looked down on at the time, than the externally holy Pharisee. It is a grace of God to know we need his mercy. Prayer is a time of relaxing into the merciful love of God, whose compassion and understanding of each of us is greater than anything else in him.

• The Pharisee and the tax collector spoke about themselves to God. Their attitudes to others were starkly in contrast. As I come to pray I may speak to God humbly about me and about my neighbours that I make sure to take time to listen for the voice of the Lord.

• I allow my prayer to be, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” I identify myself without excuses and I address myself to God, confident of being met with love and mercy.

• Jesus cautions me against anything that elevates me or sets me apart from others. I ask God to help me to be aware of any attitudes or words that demean other people.

• I place myself with the humble tax collector, asking God for mercy as I realise that I am a sinner. I ask God to help me to know my need without becoming disheartened.

• The Pharisee did not just think well of himself but did so at the expense of other people, Looking down on them from the height to which she had exalted himself. Are there ways in which I promote myself?

A Big Heart Open to God: An interview with Pope Francis

Editor’s Note: This interview with Pope Francis took place over the course of three meetings during August 2013 in Rome. The interview was conducted in person by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal. The interview was conducted in Italian. After the Italian text was officially approved, America commissioned a team of five independent experts to translate it into English. America is solely responsible for the accuracy of this translation. Father Spadaro met the pope at the Vatican in the pope’s apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where he had chosen to live since his election. Father Spadaro begins his account of the interview with a description of the pope’s living quarters. :”The setting is simple, austere. The workspace occupied by the desk is small. I am impressed not only by the simplicity of the furniture, but also by the objects in the room. There are only a few. These include an icon of St. Francis, a statue of Our Lady of Luján, patron saint of Argentina, a crucifix and a statue of St. Joseph sleeping. The spirituality of Jorge Mario Bergoglio is not made of “harmonized energies,” as he would call them, but of human faces: Christ, St. Francis, St. Joseph and Mary.”

Who Is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?

I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner. I ask Pope Francis point-blank: “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” He stares at me in silence. I ask him if I may ask him this question. He nods and replies: “I do not know what might be the most fitting description.... I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.” The pope continues to reflect and concentrate, as if he did not expect this question, as if he were forced to reflect further. “Yes, perhaps I can say that I am a bit astute, that I can adapt to circumstances, but it is also true that I am a bit naïve. Yes, but the best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most true is this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” And he repeats: “I am one who is looked upon by the Lord. I always felt my motto, Miserando atque Eligendo [By Having Mercy and by Choosing Him], was very true for me.” The motto is taken from the Homilies of Bede the Venerable, who writes in his comments on the Gospel story of the calling of Matthew: “Jesus saw a publican, and since he looked at him with feelings of love and chose him, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” The pope adds: “I think the Latin gerund miserando is impossible to translate in both Italian and Spanish. I like to translate it with another gerund that does not exist: misericordiando [“mercy-ing”]. “That finger of Jesus, pointing at Matthew. That’s me. I feel like him. Like Matthew.” Here the pope becomes determined, as if he had finally found the image he was looking for: “It is the gesture of Matthew that strikes me: he holds on to his money as if to say, ‘No, not me! No, this money is mine.’ Here, this is me, a sinner on whom the Lord has turned his gaze. And this is what I said when they asked me if I would accept my election as pontiff.” Then the pope whispers in Latin: “I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in a spirit of penance.

Prayer: I ask Pope Francis about his preferred way to pray.

“I pray the breviary every morning. I like to pray with the psalms. Then, later, I celebrate Mass. I pray the Rosary. What I really prefer is adoration in the evening, even when I get distracted and think of other things, or even fall asleep praying. In the evening then, between seven and eight o’clock, I stay in front of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour in adoration. But I pray mentally even when I am waiting at the dentist or at other times of the day. “Prayer for me is always a prayer full of memory, of recollection, even the memory of my own history or what the Lord has done in his church or in a particular parish. For me it is the memory of which St. Ignatius speaks in the First Week of the Exercises in the encounter with the merciful Christ crucified. And I ask myself: ‘What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What should I do for Christ?’ It is the memory of which Ignatius speaks in the ‘Contemplation for Experiencing Divine Love,’ when he asks us to recall the gifts we have received. But above all, I also know that the Lord remembers me. I can forget about him, but I know that he never, ever forgets me. Memory has a fundamental role for the heart of a Jesuit: memory of grace, the memory mentioned in Deuteronomy, the memory of God’s works that are the basis of the covenant between God and the people. It is this memory that makes me his son and that makes me a father, too.”

PREPARATION FOR THE SESSION

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)

Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

OPENING PRAYER

Lord, keep me centered on you and not on my goodness, my accomplishments. Teach me not to judge others in comparison to myself, and teach me to be generous in praise of others. Give me humility and pureness of heart.

COMPANIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

From First Impressions, a service of the southern Dominican Province

Today Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee and tax collector who go to the temple to pray. The two couldn’t be more opposite in religious standing. Their prayers are also at opposite ends of the spectrum. At first, the parable seems to be about prayer, but a closer look shows it is about the attitude one brings to prayer. The reading from Sirach stresses what the parable illustrates: the prayer of the humble is heard by God. (“The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds….”) Again, like Jesus’ parable, it is the attitude we bring that determines the authenticity of our prayer. This message is also reinforced by our Psalm Response to the Sirach reading: “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” The cry of the needy, disenfranchised and distressed does not go unheard by God. This is the faith the Scriptures stir in us: these days God hears the cries from grieving Ukrainian and Russian families; those same cries from the destitute and abandoned in Gaza; the loved ones of the million who have died from opioid poisoning in our country; the poor on our streets; those nursing critically ill spouses; the families of those in prisons, as well as the prisoners themselves. And, “the poor” who cry out and are heard by God, are also all of us who are in need, have prayed and now find ourselves waiting on God’s response. The Pharisee who goes up to the Temple is certainly an admirable member of the faith. He “took up his position”; was that like a front pew? He has reason to brag. He tithes and fasts. It sounds like he puts generously in the collection basket. Who wouldn’t want him in our parish community and on our parish council? Until he opens his mouth and reveals his shallow soul and diminished faith In contrast, the tax collector’s prayer of penitence is stark. He beats his chest, lowers his eyes and voices a simple prayer asking for mercy and forgiveness. It is almost as if Jesus is inviting us to put ourselves in God’s place asking: “If you were God, whose prayer would you hear and respond to?” Well, Sirach already gave us the answer: “The  prayer of the lonely pierces the clouds….” So did the psalmist: “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” The Pharisee gives thanks to God for not being like everyone else. He is a person of means, he has enough to tithe. He lives a virtuous life; he’s not “greedy, dishonest, adulterous.” He probably feels “blessed” by God for all he has.  So, he offers a prayer of thanksgiving.  But his self-satisfaction counters whatever sincerity he might have. The tax collector on the other hand, doesn’t claim his due from God. He only hopes for forgiveness. But what has he done to deserve it? Nothing. His humility makes all the difference. He has placed himself in God’s hands and God has favored him. It doesn’t figure. We are so used to earning, or deserving, whatever goods we get. Those who have little, or live in desperate situations seem forgotten, or even punished by God. The Pharisee in us would have us take credit for our goodness and moral superiority. But if we have been set right, “justified,” before God, it is a gift God has given and calls us to live out in our daily lives. We cannot gloat over our uprightness, condemn others, or ignore their need. Jesus says the tax collector went home “justified.” The opening verse uses “righteousness.” Being justified, or righteous, are biblical terms that mean being in right relation with God. Isn’t that what we believers want? St. Paul tells us that being righteous/justified comes from faith in Christ and faith is a gift from God. How can I boast of my goodness and chalk it up to my hard work when faith is a gift and it is out of faith that I do what is right and pleasing to God? The Pharisee’s prayer focuses on himself. Notice how many times he refers to himself, “I thank you… I fast… I tithe… I am not….” But the tax collector stands apart. He knows the religious, upright Pharisee despises him. The focus of his prayer is on God so he offers a simple prayer for mercy. What has he done to deserve mercy? There is no account of his making a sizable donation, or offering a large sacrifice in the Temple. How would he ever make amends for all the people he cheated in his dishonorable work, collecting taxes from his Jewish country people for the Romans? He makes no restitution still, he is “justified.” He recognizes who God is and who he is before God and mercy is given. Whose side do we take in the parable? Did you feel mercy towards the tax collector and despise the Pharisee? But then, haven’t we done just what the Pharisee did, judge another? In doing that, didn’t we place ourselves over him, as he did over the tax collector? We good churchgoing people may be right alongside the Pharisee, even in our  extra charitable works and prayer. Do we, like him, feel entitled to God’s favor? After all, we earned it! Instead of feeling privileged we acknowledge our dependence on God. At this Eucharist we give thanks for what we have received and recognize we are sisters and brothers to those around us in the pews and in the world—especially those who, like the tax collector, are downtrodden or despised by the community.

LIVING THE GOOD NEWS

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow.

Refection Questions

How many of my prayers start with “I?” What do I tell God about myself? Do my prayers generally focus on God or on myself?

Who are the tax collectors in my life? Who are the Pharisees?

Have I ever done good or religious things publicly, because there is a payback for me?

Where does my self-image come from? How is Jesus a model for me in terms of this?

How do I thank God for the moral gifts I have been given without becoming a cautionary tale of self-praise?

Am I smug about the way I practice my religion and dismissive or critical of those whose ideas or practices are different?

How do I define humility? What is false humility?

Do I ever stop to think that there might be some compelling reason behind someone’s bad behavior?

What would be some ways to stop judging people so harshly?

Do I divide people into groups, either cultural, educational, religious or political? If so, am I willing to acknowledge that I have become like the Pharisee?

What do I expect from God as a result of my good behavior?

Adapted from In Parables: The Challenge of the Historical Jesus by John Dominic Crossan, page 69.: The literal point of the parable [the Pharisee and Tax collector] is a startling story of situational reversal in which the virtuous Pharisee’s prayer is rejected by God and the sinful publican’s prayer gains approval. The metaphorical challenge is ...clear: the complete, radical, polar reversal of accepted human judgment, even or especially of religious judgment, whereby the kingdom forces its way into human awareness. What, in other words, if God does not play the game by our rules?

Does it seem that sometimes God plays by different rules than humans do? How do I feel about this?

From Renew Scripture series: “Accurate self-assessment is essential to our development as human beings". In what way do I evaluate my own life? This gospel focusses on honesty and perseverance in prayer. To what kind of action does this inspire you?

CLOSING PRAYER

Adapted from sacred Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits, 2022

Lord, can I ever get rid completely of the Pharisee in me? I find it is so easy to feel superior to others in one way or another while being blind to my own shortcomings. Remind me that humility, however, is not meant to exaggerate my shortcomings and failings, but simply to trust that you understand and will help me to do better. Help me to be honest with myself and kind to myself, grounded in the reality of your love. Remind me that I am not loved by you because I am good, but because you are good. My sinfulness, failures are not reasons for doubting your love, but rather they are an invitation to marvel all the more at your loving kindness.

FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

Weekly Memorization: Taken from the gospel for today’s session….Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

MEDITATIONS

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

In New Seeds of Contemplation Thomas Merton said: And now I am thinking of the disease which is spiritual pride. I am thinking of the particular unreality that gets into the hearts of saints and eats their sanctity away before it is mature. There is something of this worm in the hearts of all religious men. As soon as they have done something which they know to be good in the eyes of God, they tend to takes its reality to themselves and to make it their own. They tend to destroy their virtues by claiming them for themselves and clothing their own private illusion of themselves with values that belong to God. Who can escape the desire to breathe a different atmosphere from the rest of men? (p. 49) The saints are what they are not because their sanctity makes them admirable to others, but because the gift of sainthood makes it possible for them to admire everybody else (p.57). Think about your particular spiritual gifts, but be very careful not to be smug about them and careful not to compare yourself to someone else, good or bad. What can you do to be honest with yourself about all the ways in which you have been especially arrogant about your own beliefs or actions, and particularly dismissive of the beliefs and actions of others. Then, write your own prayer to God, thanking God for all the ways that you are like others, and thanking God for all those in your life who have been an example and a corrective to your sometimes self-absorbed, tendencies. Recall the times that you have fallen short of the ideal, knowing that God has continued to be forgiving and merciful. Then recall times that you have been harsh or judgmental of others. Pray for self-awareness, honesty, and forgiveness.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

I re-read this parable of the Pharisee and Publican. I place myself in the events of this little story. What does the temple look like? Where is each man standing? What is the posture and manner of the Pharisee? How about that of the Publican (tax collector)? Who do I identify with more-- the man who did what he was supposed to and prayed regularly, gave to the poor, and was an honest, good person, or the tax collector, who preyed on the weak and the helpless, extorting monies from them they could little afford and raking off a profit for himself? When we try to live a good life, is it hard not to be a little smug sometimes? I try to put myself in each man’s shoes. First I look at the part of me that loves and honors God and tries to be a good person. Do I unconsciously measure my goodness against that of others around me? Isn’t that a natural thing to do? Now I look at the part of me, like the tax collector, who has done some things for my own advancement that I’m not too proud of—a sleazy little lie here, a little shameless flattery there, perhaps a little subtle character assassination to top it off. Which side of me do I emphasize when I pray? I speak to Jesus about both sides of my nature and pray for the understanding to know when I’ve been wrong, for humility which does not allow for personal pride in my own goodness, and for the wisdom to know that bothnunderstanding and humility are gifts of God.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Here are some ways in which we can be like the tax collector; can you think of some more?

• Withhold criticism of others

• Give another the benefit of the doubt

• Let God be the judge

• Forget past mistakes and offenses of others

• Be willing to be surprised and pleased by another’s growth and progress

Which of these is the easiest for me to make a habit? Which of these is the most difficult for me to make a habit? I talk to Jesus about my attempts to respond to this parable and ask for his help to be less smug about my own wonderfulness.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:
(Adapted from Sacred Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits)

This story is for all of us. With whom do I identify with in this story? Observance of the law for a Jew is an act of thanksgiving for God’s care and love. How difficult it is for us to accept that we are loved by God without ifs or buts or qualifications! I am loved not because I am good but because God is good. My sinfulness and failures are not reasons for doubting God’s love, but rather inviting me to marvel all the more at his loving kindness. I write my own prayer to God, in total honesty, thanking God for my moral successes and my moral failures, particularly aware of God’s love and mercy.

POETIC REFLECTION

Read the following poems by Ed Ingebritzen, S.J., and Turner Cassidy and think again of the message of the story of the Publican and the Pharisee.

In the Center of Right
The woman taken in adultery
faces the glee of the takers—
they leap upon her
like shoppers upon the prize.
She wears her fright
like the face on Veronica’s veil
as they toss their cage
of rectitude and certainty,
having caught at last
the lioness smelling of blood
trapped in the heat of love.
We are never safe, she and I—
unfaithful as cats in heat
in neighborhoods where dogs strain
with white, law-edged teeth.
From behind her eyes, encircled,
I catch a bit of her fear;
I feel in my bones the violence
come of being wrong, cornered
in the center of right.
—Ed Ingebretzen, S.J., from To Keep From Singing

Carpenters
Forgiven, unforgiven, they who drive the nails
Know what they do: they hammer.
If they doubt, if their vocation fails,
They only swell the number,
Large already, of the mutineers and thieves.
With only chance and duty
There to cloak them, they elect and nail.
The vinegar will pity.
Judas who sops their silver his accuser, errs
To blame the unrewarded.
They guard the branch he hangs from. Guilt occurs
Where it can be afforded.
—Turner Cassidy, from The Uncommon Touch

A great short story for further reading: Flannery O’Connor, “Revelation” from Collected Works