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A team of 200 priests comment on daily Gospel

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Liturgical day: Saturday 3rd of Lent

Gospel text (Lk 18,9-14): Jesus told another parable (...) «Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector». Jesus told another parable to some per­sons fully convinced of their own righteous­ness, who looked down on others: «Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by him­self and said: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people, grasping, crooked, adulterous, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give the tenth of all my income to the Temple’. In the meantime the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying: ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner’. I tell you, when this man went down to his house, he had been set right with God, but not the other. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised».

Illustration: Fr. Lluís Raventós Artés

Today Jesus "puts a stop" «to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else». In the parable the Pharisee sticks his foot in his mouth: «'God!’ I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector». Ridiculous! On the other hand, Jesus praises the attitude of the tax collector who prayed by saying: «'God!' "Have mercy on me, for I am a sinner! ».

-«For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted»." The Father glorified with the resurrection His Son humbled at the Cross.