Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee 

and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood 

by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth 

of all I get.” (Luke 18:10–12)

Luke 18:9–14

Jesus tells the parable of two men who went to the temple to pray, a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee spoke confidently to God, mentioning all his good deeds and expressing his superiority over others around him.

This parable exposes the way we often measure ourselves against others. We find it very easy to see what is wrong in someone else, but harder to come face-to-face with our own faults and flaws. The Pharisee used comparison as a way to feel righteous. “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled”. (Matthew 23:12).

Sometimes in our lives, we imitate this Pharisee. We do this when we look at people and immediately feel superior, or when we jump to conclusions about others’ lives, choices, or pace.

This parable of the two men invites us to pause and reflect on our own lives and journeys. How does our prayer begin? Does our prayer begin with gratitude to God for God’s patience for us, or does it begin like the prayer of the Pharisee, the declaration of how good we have been?

Spend time thanking the Lord today for his patience and mercy for those times you might have compared yourselves to others around you, for those times you might have highlighted their faults and wrongs while failing to see your own. Sit with the Lord, have this heart-to-heart and wait for the Lord to lovingly respond to you.

Reflections by Morongoa Selepe

Loving Lord,
You tell us that anyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be raised up. Help me to be humble so that I may dispose myself to be raised by you.
Amen.

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