Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time ‘C’

The main message in today’s Gospel is that our prayers should be humble, not proud. Although  prayer is important, Jesus uses today’s parable to teach us about the dangers of pride, the  importance of humility, and our need for God’s help in our lives. 

The First Reading, from the Book of Sirach, goes well with the Gospel. It describes how “the  prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds to reach God.” In other words, God listens to those who  pray with humble hearts, knowing how much they need Him. God doesn’t play favorites, but He  has a special concern for those who are weak or struggling, like orphans and widows. The best  kind of prayer comes from humble service to others. 

The Second Reading shows St. Paul, who used to be a proud Pharisee. Now, he is humble and  thankful to God for helping him serve others faithfully. Paul knows that everything good he has  done is only because God gave him strength and guided him. 

In the Gospel parable, Jesus compares two people praying in the Temple. The Pharisee’s prayer was full of pride. He told God how good he was and looked down on  other people. The tax collector, on the other hand, simply prayed, “O God, be merciful to me, a  sinner.” He knew he needed God’s forgiveness and relied on God’s mercy. Jesus tells us that  the humble tax collector’s prayer was the one God accepted. 

We can act like the proud Pharisee when we show off our achievements, don’t give God credit  for our blessings, or look down on others. Jesus wants us to be like the humble tax collector.  We should remember that we depend on God for everything, admit our weaknesses, ask for  God’s help and forgiveness, and be more thoughtful and caring toward others. 

When we pray, let us ask God for forgiveness, thank Him for the many blessings we receive,  praise and worship Him, trust Him with our lives, and honestly tell Him our needs. Most of all,  we should pray for the strength to do what is right, and to remain humble, even when we do well. 

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”