SATURDAY, THIRD WEEK OF LENT
Hos 6: 1-6 Ps 51: 3-4, 18-21 Lk 18: 9-14
HUMILITY REQUIRES REPENTANCE
The Gospel speaks about humility, setting before us the contrast between the humble tax collector and the proud, self-assured Pharisee. At its heart, this passage is about the inner disposition of the heart that Jesus desires from each one of us. Jesus calls us to a soft and receptive heart—a heart shaped by repentance, marked by humility, and courageous enough to recognize and accept its own weaknesses and failures. It is a heart that is always willing to turn back to the Lord. This Gospel invites us to examine ourselves honestly. How quick am I to recognize my own sin? How often do I justify my anger, my envy? Do I readily bring my sins before the Lord in the sacrament of confession, or do I keep them away? These are neither easy nor comfortable questions to face. Yet it is precisely for this reason that Jesus emphasizes the attitude of repentance, as without it, our hearts slowly harden, and we become closed to God’s transforming grace.
Many of us can recognize the Pharisee within ourselves. Pride subtly creeps in, leading us to look down on others and measure ourselves against them, often concluding that we are better, more faithful, or more righteous. St. Paul reminds us, “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves” (Phil 2:3). This is exactly the reversal Jesus proposes in this Gospel. Pride keeps our eyes fixed on the faults of others while blinding us to our own need for mercy. Yet the opposite temptation also exists. Some of us look only at our weaknesses and failures and begin to see ourselves as unworthy, unsuccessful, or rejected in the eyes of the world and even in the eyes of God. Discouragement can become just as dangerous as pride, tempting us to give up rather than trust in God’s mercy. Jesus offers us a radically new perspective. He invites us to fix our gaze on Him. Through repentance and confession, we are called to admit our sins, place our trust in His mercy, and ask for the grace to become more like Him. True humility is born in such an encounter.
Response: I desire steadfast love, and not sacrifice.
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