Majestad (Christ Crucified as King of Kings),
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona, 1150

Readings:
Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18
Psalm 34:2-3,17-19, 23
2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18
Luke 18:9-14


Chants

Jesus draws a blunt picture in today’s Gospel.

The Pharisee’s prayer is almost a parody of the thanksgiving psalms (see for example Psalms 30, 118). Instead of praising God for His mighty works, the Pharisee congratulates himself for his own deeds, which he presents to God in some detail.

The tax collector stands at a distance, too ashamed even to raise his eyes to God (see Ezra 9:6). He prays with a humble and contrite heart (see Psalm 51:19).

He knows that before God no one is righteous, no one has cause to boast (see Roman 3:10; 4:2). We see in the Liturgy today one of Scripture’s abiding themes—that God “knows no favorites,” as today’s First Reading tells us (see 2 Chronicles 19:7; Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11).

God cannot be bribed (see Deuteronomy 10:17). We cannot curry favor with Him or impress Him—even with our good deeds or our faithful observance of religious duties such as tithing and fasting.

If we try to exalt ourselves before the Lord, as the Pharisee does, we will be brought low (see Luke 1:52).

This should be a warning to us—not to take pride in our piety, not to slip into the self-righteousness of thinking that we’re better than others, that we’re “not like the rest of sinful humanity.”

If we clothe ourselves with humility (see 1 Peter 5:5-6)—recognize that all of us are sinners in need of His mercy—we will be exalted (see Proverbs 29:33).

The prayer of the lowly, the humble, pierces the clouds. Paul testifies to this in today’s Epistle, as He thanks the Lord for giving him strength during his imprisonment.

Paul tells us what the Psalmist sings today—that the Lord redeems the lives of His humble servants.

We too must serve Him willingly. And He will hear us in our distress, deliver us from evil, and bring us safely to His heavenly kingdom.

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St. John Chrysostom
Homilies on Conversion, 2

A Pharisee and a tax collector went up to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee began by enumerating all his virtues, declaring: "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest adulterous – or even like this tax collector!"

Wretched man! Daring to cast judgement on the whole world! Why afflict your neighbour? Do you need to condemn this tax collector as well? Isn't the earth enough for you? You accuse everyone without exception: "I am not like the rest of humanity... or even like this tax collector; I fast twice a week, I pay tithes on my whole income." What smugness lies in these words! What a miserable creature!...

As for the tax collector, he had understood these words only too well and might have responded in kind: "Who are you, then, daring to make such unkind comments in my regard? How do you come to know anything about my life? You've never kept society with me, you're not one of my close friends, so why show such arrogance? Besides, who is able to bear witness to the genuineness of your good deeds? What makes you sing your own praises like this or who is encouraging you to glorify yourself in this way?" Yet he did none of these things – quite the opposite – he cast himself on the ground, saying: "God be merciful to me, a sinner!" And because he gave proof of his humility, he went away justified.

The Pharisee left the Temple deprived of any kind of absolution, whereas the tax collector went away, his heart renewed by re-found righteousness... All the same, there was no question in this case of humility in the sense the term is used when someone of high rank lowers himself. In the case of the tax collector it was not a question of humility but of simple truth since what he said was true.