Homily for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Oct. 26, 2025. Gospel of St. Luke 18:9-14. Theme: Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
In today’s gospel a Pharisee and a tax collector go to the Jerusalem Temple to pray. These two men stand in stark opposition to one another and it seems that Jesus intentionally chose such a contrast of characters to emphasize that salvation is not something that we can earn or deserve. Rather, it’s a free gift of God that is given to the humble of heart and not at all the result of our efforts and religious practices. So, let’s take another look at these two men and see what they have to say to us.
On one hand we have a Pharisee. That name means “the separated ones” because the Pharisees prided themselves on remaining away from and untouched by the pagan influences all around them. Their idea of devotion to God was found in observing every little detail of the many religious rules and rituals that filled up daily Jewish life. Thus, they defined holiness in legal terms and their approach to God was like carrying out the various stipulations of a contract. The Pharisees represented the epitome of spirituality and righteous living to the people of Israel. So Jesus’ listeners would quite naturally assume that this man was the “good guy” of the story, the one who would obviously please God the most.
On the other hand we have a tax collector. Now, they were considered to be the most vile of Jewish men because they had turned their backs on the God of Israel in order to work for the pagan emperor-god of Rome. They were considered traitors who sold out their people for the sake of personal gain. Not only did they collect the unjust Roman taxes, but they padded their accounts to make sure that they got a nice fat commission off the blood, sweat and tears of their fellow Jews. They were despised in their villages and rejected by their own families. Those who heard Jesus speaking this parable would have been sure that there was no way that such a scoundrel could possibly be favored by God. But Jesus is always full of surprises!
As we just heard in the Gospel, the Pharisee entered the Temple and stood tall and proud as he confidently rattled off all his religious achievements. He was laboring under the false impression that he could sway God and purchase holiness with the currency of his spiritual practices and financial contributions. Now, his fasting and alms were both excellent deeds, but their religious value got spoiled when he turned them into a spiritual résumé that he assumed would win for him a divine pat on the back!
The parable then moves on to the tax collector who dared to enter the temple area. I say “dared” because it was a risky venture as he was not supposed to be there. You see, tax collectors were not allowed to enter the Jerusalem Temple since they were excommunicated from Jewish worship. But his inner desire to set things right with God made him take the risk. So, even before we hear his humble prayer for mercy, his actions reveal the deep yearning for God that was in his heart. Then once he was successfully inside, he wouldn't lift his eyes to gaze upon the sacredness of the Temple, for he felt himself unworthy to even look upon what was holy. Instead, he struck his chest in a gesture of penitence as he repeated: “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” That’s all. No résumé of spiritual works. No excuses for his bad choices and selfish behavior. No promises that he might not be able to keep. He didn’t pretend to be anything other than what he was: a sinner in need of redemption. And because of his stark honesty with God he went home justified, which means “being put into a right relationship with God.”
Jesus astounded his listeners by making this tax collector the “good guy” instead of the Pharisee. What made him the hero of the parable was what we call “humility of heart”, which is an honest assessment and a truthful awareness about who and what we are in relation to the glory and holiness of God. The Bible tells us from beginning to end that it is precisely this interior disposition that attracts God’s mercy to us sinners like iron shavings to a magnet! In fact, humility of heart is really the only way to open the door to living life with God. Otherwise we shut him out because we are so full of ourselves that there is no room left for him!
While humility enables us to see and fully admit that we are sinners it doesn’t stop there because that’s not the whole story of who we are. Humility goes on to remind us that yes, although we are indeed sinners, we are nevertheless passionately and personally each loved by God our Father who is rich in mercy. Humility opens our eyes to the truth that we are all in need of his grace and that none of us is greater than another in God’s sight. It enables us to acknowledge our sins and so receive forgiveness. It expands our hearts so that we can have patience and be understanding of others because it reminds us that they too are sinners who stand in need of redemption. Humility moves us to forgive others just as God has forgiven us and to accept others just as Christ has accepted us.
I think that one reason why Jesus told this Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is because he knows that there’s a bit of both men inside each one of us. Sometimes, if we are honest about it, we pray like the Pharisee saying: “O Lord, thank you that I’m not like that inconsiderate person at work… Thank you that I am not like that annoying neighbor next door… Thank you that I am not like that dirty bum on the street…” But then at other times we become more aware of our true moral status. Like the tax collector, we clearly see our spiritual poverty and so we cry out : “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”. Jesus invites each one of us to choose to walk on the challenging pathway of humility. And to help us better do so he has given us the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Eucharist so that through the grace bestowed by these sacred rituals, the Pharisee within us will shrink and the tax collector within us will grow until finally, he is the only one left standing and praying in the temple of our hearts.






