Actions vs. Attitude
In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable to teach us the importance of praying with the right attitude. The two men in the parable are a Pharisee and a tax collector.
We know that God loves us and is proud of us. But if we think for even one moment that we are flawless -or worse- worthy of God’s praise, then the only person we are fooling is ourselves.
In this time, Tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Romans. They were viewed as traitors by their own people, foreigners by the Romans, and resented by everyone. They weren’t paid a real wage, but rather, were expected to take more than required and then “skim off the top.” Unsurprisingly, this system made it easy to be dishonest and take advantage.
Upon entering the temple, the tax collector bowed his head, hitting himself to show repentance. He knew he was a sinner. He knew he needed God’s forgiveness. And he knew that no one can be proud of themselves before God. However, the Pharisee stood up to pray and merely informed God of all the wrong things which he had not done. He concluded by boasting about the religious practices he had observed. The Pharisee thought he was praying, when really he was praising only himself. Jesus tells us that it is the first man who went home justified before God.
This parable leaves me questioning my own intentions sometimes. Am I, as a Christian, acting like Jesus for the right reasons? Or am I doing what God calls me to do, simply to make myself look (and feel) more righteous? Am I brave enough -and Christian enough- to admit my mistakes and
shortcomings?
We know that God loves us and is proud of us. But if we think for even one moment that we are flawless -or worse- worthy of God’s praise, then the only person we are fooling is ourselves. Conversely, if we acknowledge our sin and humbly repent before God, Jesus says that God will exalt us. The lower we make ourselves on Earth, the higher God will exalt us in Heaven!
So, instead of pointing the magnifying glass at what others are doing this week, may we all have the humility and grace to analyse our own actions and intentions, with God’s help. Amen!