AT MY HIGH SCHOOL reunion, I was greeted by someone I couldn’t recall. Without hesitation, he launched into a list of negative things about former classmates, his business success, promotions and expensive cars. The encounter reminded me of a line by Ira Lewis: “Never believe your own press.”
In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, we hear a spiritual “tale of two cities.” For the Pharisee, it was the best of times, for the tax collector, the worst. Their prayers reveal their hearts. The Pharisee presumed holiness from outward appearance, yet his self-praising words exposed his inner poverty. Using “I” five times, he boasted of accomplishments and belittled the tax collector. His obedience to the Law was not written on his heart.
Jesus asks: whom do we trust—ourselves or the benevolence of the Father?
The tax collector made a humble confession. True humility is recognizing that the greatest truth is not us, but God. He admitted his sin and, echoing Psalm 51, trusted God to be merciful.
The Pharisee sought nothing from God, relying on himself. Ironically, he was right that he was “not like the tax collector;” yet it was the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who left justified. The Pharisee did not seek, ask or knock—and so did not find, receive, or enter into relationship with God.
St. Francis de Sales observed the Pharisee’s judgment of the tax collector was both wrong and late. After his heartfelt prayer, the tax collector was no longer the sinner the Pharisee despised. De Sales concluded what matters most is how we end—from sinner to saint.
The pursuit of sanctity begins with awareness of God’s holiness, not ours. The standard for goodness is not being better than our neighbor but imitating Jesus. Even when we do well, we remain unworthy before our perfect God. The parable demonstrates the gift of saving grace; that our virtues signal our acceptance of that grace, not a right to its reception.
We must ensure our prayers of thanksgiving do not turn into self-congratulation or contempt for others. The Pharisee was indeed righteous under the Law, and the tax collector indeed a sinner, yet the Pharisee prayed not for reconciliation but for recognition.
False religious observance can deaden our sense of the holy—as Francis Bacon warned, we risk becoming “one who handles holy things without feeling.”
The tax collector, like the Prodigal Son, suffered the emptiness of sin and turned back to the Father. He looked heavenward; the Pharisee looked down on others. At times we can be self-righteous, at times repentant. Combining the Pharisee’s virtue with the tax collector’s cry for mercy allows for spiritual growth. Commentator Michael Marsh wrote, “May the Christ in me see and honor the Christ in you, and the Christ in you see and honor the Christ in me.” Jesus calls us to walk in another’s shoes, replacing judgment with reverence toward others and God. And God modeled this perfectly by sending His Son to share our humanity.
So, what distinguishes the Pharisee from the tax collector? Tradition tells of St. Jerome, who after translating the Bible into Latin, had a vision of Jesus. Jesus asked what gift Jerome would give Him. Jerome offered his translation which Jesus refused. Jerome then offered to give anything. “Anything?” Jesus asked. Jerome responded: yes. Jesus challenged: “I want you to give me your sins.” The tax collector had done just that while the Pharisee could not even see his sins.
The parable ends, but not our story. Each day we must choose—to see the sins of others, or to cry out for mercy.