DGeMs- Daily Gospel eMessage
Dear Friend in the Lord,
“Self-Righteousness”: In today’s Gospel, Jesus points out the self-righteous Pharisee who prides himself to be “holy”, and condemning the publican as a sinner. In contrast, the publican with humility begs for God’s Mercy to forgive his many sins. Which one of these two describes you more accurately?
Fr Philip Heng, S.J.
Luke 18:9-14
Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else, ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.”
The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’