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March 21, 2020The Gospels show us over and over that God’s ways are not our ways. We see this clearly in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the Gospel of Luke that we read today. One would expect that the religiously observant Pharisee who avoids vice would be justified rather than the Tax Collector. Instead of naming his virtues, the tax collector recognizes himself as he is and names his need for God, saying, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” That’s the essence of humility: honestly seeing ourselves for who we are, the good and the bad, and seeing our need for God.
This is what the season of Lent is about: recognizing our own deficiencies and asking God to make up for them. Fasting helps us to know that we are not self-reliant. Almsgiving takes us outside of ourselves to recognize, respect, and care for the other. Prayer encourages us to plead to God to make us whole.
As we continue this Lenten journey, may we cultivate the virtue of true humility, seeing ourselves for who we are and seeing our own need for God.
