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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Jesus’ parable that forms this Sunday’s Gospel reading teaches us on a number of levels. The first is that of prayer. The prayer of the tax collector has become what is often referred to as the “Jesus Prayer”, it is a text used especially, but not exclusively, in the Orthodox Church and, in its simplicity, enables us to place ourselves before the Lord as we truly are – sinners in need of mercy, conscious that the love of the Lord means He wants nothing more than for us to be totally His.

The way in which the Pharisee presents himself is, in fact, not faithful to reality. He looks at himself in a way that is full of pride and compares himself to others, rather than being open to the relationship with God that is the focus for true prayer

Prayer must always be honest. There is no need to be anything but honest, because God knows us better than we know ourselves. Why try to be someone else?

Truthfulness and humility are deeply related. Michael Casey, the Australian Cistercian Monk and writer of a number of books, describes humility as “Truthful Living.” This is, surely, a very helpful reflection. In the parable, the tax collector is truthful about himself, honest before God. Our prayer – our lives – must be the same. Indeed, “Truthful Living” is a mark of the Christian, for real humility enables us to rely not on ourselves, but on Christ. This is the path to life, and to effective witness to the Gospel, for all around us.

With every blessing,

+Richard

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