Dear Friends in Christ,
Our friendship with God is based on the real truths of our lives. Who we are, how we have lived, how we have loved and not loved, all form the basis of this relationship. God knows us intimately, unlike anyone else, even ourselves.
Sometimes we don’t really know ourselves at all. This is the case of the Pharisee in this Sunday’s Gospel. In the parable, Jesus tells us the Pharisee assured himself of his own righteousness. He even thanked God for not making him “like the rest of humanity.” In other words, he judged everyone else as a sinner while he viewed himself as sinless!
There are times in our lives when we can be like the Pharisee. We can look at others with contempt, observing their failures and faults, while remaining blind to our own. The blindness we have to our own sinfulness is part of our fallen human condition. Yet, Jesus calls us to see ourselves as we really are, sinners in need of a Savior.
In the parable, the tax collector prays humbly, crying out to God for mercy. Jesus tells us that the tax collector is “justified” or right in the eyes of God. In other words, he recognizes his sinfulness and asks God to be merciful to him. He does not have any smugness concerning
self-righteousness.
Who needs God more, the Pharisee or the tax collector? The answer is, of course, the tax collector. He needs God because he knows he cannot save himself. A healthy awareness of our need for conversion makes us need Jesus more. We know that without His grace we can never improve or make progress in the Christian life.
Humbly, let us examine our hearts, following up with God, perhaps, by celebrating the Sacrament of Penance. Let us receive Jesus’ invitation to new life and freedom through confession and absolution.