Reflection for October 26, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 18:9-14

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:

Have we ever tried conversing with those who are truly humble? What do we notice about them? They rarely talk about themselves; and if they do, they make sure it’s not for the purpose of raising their own self-image. There’s something about them that draws us in—we naturally gravitate toward them and love to be in their presence, because they somehow carry an aura of peace and holiness that inspires us to be humble also.

On the other hand, have we ever tried conversing with those who are so full of themselves? They always seem to talk about their accomplishments, their possessions, and the things they do—and it goes on and on, all about themselves. So, we find it exhausting to listen to their self-centered talk that feeds the ego rather than the soul.

God would also prefer that we always remain humble: to talk less and less about ourselves and our accomplishments, for doing so only feeds our superficial image. God already knows everything about us—our talents, our struggles, our victories, and our hearts. What He desires is not our self-promotion, but our quiet faithfulness.

He calls us to walk humbly with Him in this temporary world—in silence, yes, in silence—never worrying about whether others notice us or not. We are invited to be content in doing all things for the greater glory of God, not for our own recognition.

Many of us, however, are like the Pharisee in the Gospel. We love to talk about ourselves and boast about the things we do for God, thinking it might win us favor. But the truth is, it will not serve us any good. We cannot gain God’s favor if we always point to ourselves as the lead actor in our story.

The Lord always favors the humble, as the Gospel gently reminds us. The humble are those who speak less of themselves, who do not let success cloud their hearts, and who know that everything they have is a gift from God—something they should never boast about. True humility is not about denying our gifts, but about recognizing that they all come from Him and are meant to serve others.

Do we seek to be noticed, or do we seek to quietly honor God? May we choose the path of humility—walking silently with our Lord, content to let His light, not ours, shine before others. – Marino J. Dasmarinas