RBWords

     The prayer of the tax collector has echoed down the centuries as "the Jesus prayer:"  "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner!" I often have penitents repeat this prayer after me in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially when he or she has been away from that sacrament for a long time and is not likely to remember the traditional "act of contrition."  Indeed, when preaching parish missions, I frequently encounter penitents who have been away from the church and the sacrament of reconciliation for years at a time!  The first thing I say to them is: "Welcome back!"  

     The contrast between the righteous Pharisee and the tax collector is sharp!  The Pharisee basically says to God, "Thank you for making me righteous so that I have no need of your mercy!"  This amounts to spiritual "smugness."  In regard to the tax collector, it is not a matter of "beating up on oneself" but of realizing to be truly human is to realize how much we need God to maintain any integrity at all.  In Romans 12:3, St. Paul writes, "I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than one ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned."

     The example of the tax collector has made me cautious about asking folks in the back of the church to move forward!  For some of them, the back of the church is about as close as they feel they can come.  I, for one, want to join them in the tax collector's prayer!  AMEN