I would recap the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector by sharing this view:
Picture the tax collector. He has no special prayer space. He keeps his head bowed so as to avoid the disdainful gaze of the Pharisee. A well-paid member of the Roman bureaucracy, he is dressed neatly but not pretentiously. His cheeks are stained with tears. He has come to the Temple for one reason. He has recently realized how corrupt he has become. A little extortion here, a little fuzzy math there, and he has become quite wealthy.
But at what cost? He has defrauded people who can barely make ends meet. He has sent men to debtors’ prison with no regard for their families. He sees it now, and he is deeply sorry. Words fail. All he can say is, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner”
Now the Pharisee. He, pleased with the perfection of his prayer, leaves just as he came in: convinced of his own righteousness and despising everyone else (Luke 18:9). But the tax collector leaves feeling free. With a lighter step and a brave smile on his face, he heads home. Tomorrow he will apologize to his neighbors and return their money.
Spiritual pride is when you do 2 things: exalt yourself and look down on (judge) others. Another name for this is arrogance. This was the Pharisee's sin.
Jesus is making it clear that the opposite of arrogance - humility - is the doorway to a relationship with God.
We all have a little of the Pharisee and a little of the tax collector in us. Jesus messages are always intended to get us to look in the mirror first before we start looking at others.
We also talked about why Mary is so honored by God and us. Taylor will send a link of a 12 min video on the teleology of Mary - how the Old Testament foretells Mary's role.
Lastly, I reviewed how Pope Boniface in the 6th century converted the Roman Pantheon (dedicated to all the Roman pagan gods) to the Church of Mary and the Martyrs (the first saints). This eventually became All Saints Day (Nov 1). The day before was when the Pope said the "prayers of exorcism" to ensure any "demons" were expelled from the building, as in those days pagan gods were often considered demons (fallen angels) who led people away from God. Christians originally began celebrating All Saints Day the night before, which in English was called All Hallow's Eve (hallow means both sacred or saint), which then was translated to Halloween. Many years later, the dressing up of goblins and witches on Halloween was a kind of celebration of the last day of the pagan gods and the victory of the saints
We look forward to seeing as many as can come next week. God bless everyone!
Ron
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