Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
Jesus addressed this
parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised
everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a
Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 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.’ But the tax collector
stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat
his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, the
latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
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Reflection:
Is humility the
passageway to the heart of God? Yes it is! By our humility we are able to
access the sacred passageway to the heart of God. By our humility we are able
to make God smile at us and we are able to make God embrace us.
Humility is not only
the passageway to the heart of God for this is also the passageway to the heart
of our fellowmen. We are silently admired and respected if we are always humble
and if we don’t raise ourselves to be exalted by our fellowmen.
In our gospel
reading this Saturday there’s this Pharisee who boasted about his good
qualities before God. Why did he boast? Perhaps the Pharisee thought that in so
doing God would take notice and be impressed of his good qualities. But we
cannot impress God, we cannot bully our way to the heart of God.
On the other hand
the tax collector and perceived to be sinner by many humbled himself before
God. He did nothing except to humbly acknowledge his own sinfulness in front of
God. By humbly admitting his own sinfulness and shortcomings the tax collector
gained the mercy and favor of God.
Do you also want to
gain the mercy and favor of God? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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