# Seeking God, Finding God: A Lenten Reflection on Luke 18:14
*2009-03-20*

> Bill Young reflects on the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, urging listeners to pursue humility and honest prayer during Lent.

## Reading the Gospel

Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 18:14: “I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

## The Parable Explained

The story of the Pharisee and the tax collector is one we have all heard many times. The tax collector, a profession considered unclean under Hebrew law, would not have been allowed to sit at the same table as a Pharisee. Yet the tax collector recognizes his own sinfulness, while the Pharisee boasts about his meticulous observance of the law—fasting, tithing, and even counting the smallest herbs. He assumes his outward righteousness makes him holy, forgetting that true holiness comes from God, not from religious performance.

## Why Religious Practices Matter

We are reminded that religious rituals alone cannot make us holy. The question becomes: why do we bother with them at all? The answer is that when practices such as prayer, fasting, and worship are performed with a humble heart and an open mind, they become means of grace that draw us nearer to God. They help us recognize the sin hidden in our lives and the need for God's forgiveness.

## A Personal Challenge

Consider this: what religious practice in your own life has helped you become most honest with yourself? Whether it is spiritual reading, attending Mass, meditation, serving the poor, or another discipline, take time today to reflect on what God is teaching you through that practice.

## Prayer of Transparency

Let us pray: “God of transparency, teach me to be honest when I pray to You.” Amen.

*True humility, not outward religiosity, is the path to being justified before God.*