Luke 18:9-14
In a parable on prayer the arrogance of the Pharisee is contrasted with the honesty of the tax collector. The message here is a call to turn to the Lord in a spirit of repentance. No one is so ‘good’ as not to need God’s forgiveness. No one is so ‘bad’ that God will not forgive. Please, just turn to me, says Jesus.
“The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”
Both the first reading (Sirach 35:12-14, 16-19) and today’s psalm say clearly that the Lord hears the cry of the poor. Have I been given the gifts – of time or money or abilities – to be the means by which God answers their need?
– Fr. John Conway