The Prayer That Justifies: Humility Before God

Voice over by Gracie Aye Chan May

Sir 35:12-14.16-18, Psalm: 33, 2Tim 4:6-8.16-18, Lk 18:9-14

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In the spiritual life, there is perhaps no greater danger than the sin that blinds us to itself—the sin of spiritual pride. It is a subtle poison that can corrupt even our most pious acts. Today, the Word of God pierces through all pretense, revealing the one disposition that truly opens the floodgates of God’s mercy: a humble and contrite heart.

The book of Sirach lays the foundation with a profound truth about the character of God: “The Lord is a God of justice, who knows no favorites.” He does not judge by worldly status or human achievement. Yet, He does show partiality to a specific kind of person: “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal.” God’s ear is uniquely attuned to the cry of the oppressed, the orphan, the widow, and the one whose heart is stripped of all self-sufficiency. This is the God who “hears the cry of the poor.”

This truth is lived out in the poignant parable Jesus tells of two men who went up to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stands front and center, and his prayer is a litany of self-congratulation: “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector.” He fasts, he tithes, he follows the law meticulously. But his prayer is not truly directed to God; it is a celebration of himself in God’s presence. He trusts in himself, and as a result, he leaves the temple unchanged, unjustified.

Then there is the tax collector. He stands off at a distance, a public sinner complicit with the Roman oppressors. He cannot even raise his eyes to heaven. His prayer is not a list of accomplishments, but a cry of radical dependence: “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He presents no defense, offers no excuse. He throws himself entirely onto the mercy of God. And Jesus delivers the stunning verdict: “I tell you, the latter went home justified, but the former did not.” The one who was righteous in his own eyes was not; the one who knew he was a sinner was made righteous by God’s free gift.

This is the great reversal of the Gospel. Justification is not a reward for the virtuous; it is a gift to the humble. It is not earned by the flawless, but received by the broken.

This is the faith that Saint Paul proclaims at the end of his life in the second reading. He does not say, “I have a right to the crown because I have kept the rules.” He says, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” His confidence is not in his own perfect record, but in the faithfulness of the Lord whom he has served: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength… The Lord will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.” His trust, like the tax collector’s, is in the mercy and power of God, not in his own merits.

So, what does this mean for us? We can easily fall into the trap of the Pharisee. We can compare ourselves to others, feeling secure because we go to Mass, avoid major sins, or serve in the parish. This is a dangerous illusion. The question is not, “Am I better than my neighbor?” but “Am I, in the depths of my soul, utterly reliant on God’s mercy?”

The comfort today is immense. God is not waiting for us to become spiritually perfect before He loves us. He is listening for the simple, honest cry of the tax collector. The door to justification is not a high bar of achievement, but the low doorway of humility. As St. Thérèse of Lisieux understood, the key to heaven is not a great spiritual resume, but the trusting heart of a child who knows they are small and helpless.

Let us, therefore, approach the altar today not like the Pharisee, presenting God with our spiritual accomplishments, but like the tax collector, beating our breasts and saying, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” For it is in this posture of humble trust that we, too, will go home justified, ready to run the race Paul described, not relying on our own strength, but on the Lord who stands by us and gives us strength. Amen.