O God, be merciful to me a sinner

9 MARCH (Lk 18,9-14)

Pride moves away from the heart of God. On the contrary, humility brings him closer, attracts and conquers him. Our God loves the humble, but he cannot love the proud, because their hearts are so hardened as not to allow any of his presence in their lives. The humble sinner, that is the one who always recognizes his sin, is forgiven by God and reinstated in his friendship. The same cannot be said for the superb sinner, who sins and does not recognize the evil he did. His conscience is blind.

The virtue of humility was highly recommended in the teaching of Ancient Scripture. The father teaches it to his son as the true source of all good for his house. A man without humility is a real disaster for himself and for others. The proud man is like a house without a roof and without foundation. Its present and its future are a real scourge. Pride is the sin of Satan, of the rebellious angels and of those who belong to them. The one of the prod is a truly diabolical life, never might it be said to be human.

My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. For great is the power of God; by the humble he is glorified. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. What is committed to you, attend to; for what is hidden is not your concern. With what is too much for you meddle not, when shown things beyond human understanding. Their own opinion has misled many, and false reasoning unbalanced their judgment. Where the pupil of the eye is missing, there is no light, and where there is no knowledge, there is no wisdom. A stubborn man will fare badly in the end, and he who loves danger will perish in it. A stubborn man will be burdened with sorrow; a sinner will heap sin upon sin. For the affliction of the proud man there is no cure; he is the offshoot of an evil plant. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man’s joy. Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins. He who does a kindness is remembered afterward; when he falls, he finds a support. (Sir 3,17-31).

The Pharisee goes before the Lord just to show off, get exalted, take pride in the state of his soul. He is not like the other men who are all fools, stupid and imbeciles. They do not know how to steal with elegance. They do not know how to be unjust with mischief. They do not know how to be adulterers with circumspection. He is not like the others because he knows how to use religion to steal, to be unjust, to condemn, to be adulterous and commit other crimes against God and the brothers. He is “wise and intelligent”. He does not need to sell himself out to the enemy to steal his people. He knows how to make good use of the temple, worship, teaching, and all other social relations. It suffices, then, to pay some tithing and show the people that he fasts and the face is nice and clean. He is so “wise and intelligent” as to deceive the very God. He is a “wise” sinner and the other is a “stupid” sinner. He knows sin with great intelligence and is not a sin. The other sins out of stupidity and ignorance and his is a true sin. That is why he is not like the others.

He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The tax collector is instead a humble person. He sinned and recognizes it before God. He has broken the Law and asks for forgiveness of his Lord. He failed, why deceive himself and the Lord, denying not to have failed? Because of his humility, God justifies, acquits and frees him from his sin, reconciling him with him.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints teach us true humility.