The message of today’s gospel is not only how I see others but also how I see myself in the eyes of God. Look at what Luke says at the beginning of the gospel. Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. Now, let us examine the prayers of the Pharisee and Publican, and then Jesus’ reaction.
The Pharisee’s prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving. He gives thanks to God because he is not like the rest of men, robbers, evildoers, or even like that tax collector. He fast two days a week. He pays a tithe to the temple. Proud for the good deeds he has done . Full of himself, he thanks God because he has done everything right and God must love him very much. Full of himself. There is no room for God in his heart. He goes to temple to inform God for his good deeds. He believed that he has the right to get into heaven because he had kept the rules. He believed that he deserves to be saved because of his good deeds.
On the other hand, the tax collector prayer is an act of contrition. He just cry for forgiveness, for mercy. O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. The tax collector is humble and ashamed. He knows that he has done wrong and he seeks God’s forgiveness. The only thing he can offer to God is his broken heart. He goes to temple because he really needs God. Jesus reaction was that the publican was justified and the Pharisee not. He did not say that the Publican is good and the Pharisee is bad.
Now, why did Jesus condemn the Pharisee and praise the attitude of the Publican ? Jesus condemned the Pharisee because he exalted himself, he despised others and he did not need God. The Pharisee does not understand that all his good deeds do not give him the right to heaven. There is no guarantee that he merits to be saved: The Pharisee considered good works as advantage before God. He though that by keeping the commandments of God and all the rules which is good, he deserves heaven. He believed that he can win salvation by his good works. He is full of himself. There is no room for God in his heart. Also, Jesus condemned the Pharisee because he despised others. He did not see others with love . He failed in loving others. He failed in judging other who did not observe the rules as he did. He failed to compare himself to others. So, Good works do not make people righteous .
This parables brings up two temptations which are present to us today : The first temptation is to think that we save our soul ( I save my soul ). Jesus’ parable is addressed to all who decide that they are pleasing to God by themselves, that they can win heaven by their own actions, by their own good works. It is not me, but rather it is Jesus who saves me. It is Jesus who saves us. The parable reminds us that when we pray, we must remember our need for God in our lives. If we are full of ourselves, there is no room for God’s grace to work in us. In our prayer, we need to add every day this : O god, be merciful to me, the sinner I am. We need to thank God for his mercy, for Jesus who dies for us. Without that mercy and forgiveness we are nothing.
The second temptation is to despise others, to judge and to compare ourselves with others. The Pharisee look down the Publican because they consider themselves as righteous people. Now, how do we see others, How do we see people who have different opinions ? How do we see people whom we consider as sinners, how do we see the immigrants, the Muslims? Do we see them as brothers and sisters or do we see them as enemies. Let us take time today to pray as the tax collector did : Lord, be merciful to us , a sinner.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled. Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
