“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’”
Luke 18:13
Let us be humble!
In this parable, Jesus is talking about two very different people. The Pharisee is a pious man. He scrupulously follows the precepts of the law and thanks God for being able to do so. The tax collector is considered impure by the Jews—he works for the Romans and gets rich at the expense of the people. Both go to the temple to pray. God shows mercy to the tax collector but denies it to the Pharisee.
This parable does not call into question the validity of the law. Jesus did not come to abolish it, but to fulfill it (Mt 5: 17). He shows us that God places more importance on loving our neighbor than on religious discipline. And, above all, that no one can earn their salvation by their behavior—we all need grace to be saved. Through this parable, Jesus urges us to be humble to God and our neighbor.
The humble are aware of their dependence on the Creator. God expects us to work and keep His commandments. But our efforts and behavior do not oblige Him to fulfill all our desires. Some people are far more deserving than we are and who have far less than we do. The humble know that they owe everything they have to God’s grace and they are thankful.
The believer’s humility is not a matter of self-deprecation, but the right attitude towards God. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reveals to us God’s perfection and highlights our imperfections. As we are, we cannot enter the kingdom of God, where everything is holy and perfect. The Spirit teaches us that the man Jesus Christ was able to enter God’s glory because He fulfilled God’s will perfectly. We cannot. That is why we implore grace.
We believe in God’s perfection, omniscience, omnipotence and love. That is why we trust Him. To be humble is to accept God’s will and actions without complaining, even when we do not understand them.
The humble are obedient, doing what God tells them to do (Mic 6: 8). Let us not just keep the commandments that suit us. Let us not invent our own rules to please God (Col 2: 20–23). Let us conform our lives to the gospel taught by the Apostles.
Aware of their imperfections, the humble are willing to learn and eager to progress. They let themselves be guided by God and strive to do God’s will better and better.
God asks us to love others and help to save them. The humble do not despise or judge their neighbor. They pray for others, asking God to be gracious to them as He was to them. They do not consider themselves as the standard—they understand that others do not have to become like them to be saved.
In their prayers, too, the humble trust God. They know that God knows their neighbor better than they do and He loves them more than they do. They pray for the salvation of others but leave it to God to decide when and how they will be saved.
To be saved, the departed must also show humility. They must recognize their dependence on grace and implore it. They must accept that God may not answer all their questions and trust in His love. They must conform to God’s will and follow the path He shows them: follow the Apostles’ teachings, receive the sacraments they provide and become Christlike.
The Spirit urges us to humility. We implore God’s grace. We trust Him and do His will. We do not judge others but pray for their salvation.