Homily on Luke 18:9-14:Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Homily on Luke 18:9-14: Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Saturday the 29^th of March 2025)

Praise be to Jesus Christ

One day, a man walked up a high mountain to keep himself safe from a flood.  From the top of the mountain, he looked down at his village below and felt pride in the fact that he was clever enough to act promptly in a potentially dangerous situation. As he stood on the mountain top still puffed up with pride in his ability to avert danger,  he failed to notice thick dark clouds forming in the sky. Unexpectedly, he was knocked over by a strong wind which blew with great force. Thinking that he was safe and secure on the top of the mountain secure, his pride and self-righteousness blinded him to the real danger all around him.

 In today’s gospel, two men came to pray in the temple. One, like the man in the story, was consumed with pride in that he considered himself perfect and faultless as he prayed at the front of the temple. He even listed all his good deeds before God as if God was not already aware of them. The other man, however, stayed at the back of the temple and with great humility bowed his head unable even to lift his eyes and with deep sorrow and tears prayed, “O God, be kind and merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus told the parable to illustrate the danger of pride and the true value of humility which is most pleasing to God.

There is always a danger of self-righteousness in our own lives and it is easy to consider ourselves better than others. The man in the story felt conceited and vain glorious while he was on top of the mountain. But in reality, when we think we are better than others, we too become blind and refuse to understand or our mistakes or even notice them. Furthermore, we will not accept any wise criticism from others if they point out our faults. Pride is a serious sin because it keeps us from true repentance. The Pharisee in today’s Gospel believed that  he was  holy because of his fasting, tithing, and prayers. But holiness is not about what we do but what we are and it is about how much we depend on God’s mercy. In comparison the man understood this truth as he prayed with humility at the back of the church.

Saint Teresa of Avila teaches that true humility is walking in truth. The tax collector walked in truth, truth about his own sinfulness, because he knew his need for God’s mercy. But the Pharisee, so selfish in life, thought that all his good works could make him righteous. In the Book of Proverbs, 18:12 we read “Before his downfall, a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honour”. Jesus  categorically affirms this point most clearly in the last verse of today’s gospel, saying, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 The Bible stressed this vital lesson throughout. King Nebuchadnezzar, for example, was a man of pride and relished in his power and authority. He considered himself as a god and therefore behaved like a god. Because of his pride, however, he lost everything; his kingdom, name, fame, reduced to the status of an animal until he came to the harsh realisation that all power belongs to God (Daniel 4:30-37). Once he repented, God restored him to his role as king. This same truth Jesus teaches in the Gospel of today.

The saints of the Church understood the lesson of humility very well. Although Saint Francis of Assisi came from a wealthy family, he chose a life of poverty, and considered himself the least of all. At times he called himself a donkey.  Saint Alphonsus Liguori, once said, “The one who is humble is truly great, for he places all his trust in God and not in himself.” Even Saint John Maria Vianney,  who is well known for his holiness, often used to say, “If we really understood how much we need God, we would never be proud.”

 During this season of lent let us ask ourselves: Do we act like the Pharisee, feeling superior to others? Do we look down on poor people, thinking we are better? Or do we have the heart of the tax collector, standing before God with humility and trust in His mercy?

True greatness is not in exalting oneself with self-esteem but in considering oneself with great humility before God. Although He was God, Jesus Himself humbled himself and took the form of a servant St. Paul writes in his letter to Philippians 2:6-8 that if we wish to be like Christ, let us try to empty ourselves of all pride and acknowledge our need for Him. Finally, it’s also good to keep in mind we think of ourselves as better than others when we compare ourselves with others. If we compare our lives with Jesus or with the saints then we will understand our true lowliness. Let us take extreme effort to imitate Jesus in all his humility during this Lenten season

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, give us a humble and pure heart and help us to compare ourselves with You in everything what we do that we may understand our nothingness.  Amen.

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God Bless…