On this Sunday, Jesus speaks about our attitude in prayer. Prayer is not about competition or showing that we are holier than others. Prayer is about presenting ourselves before God as we are.
The many words we speak during prayer are not as important as letting God speak to our hearts. In prayer, we are not trying to change God’s mind about anything. We are asking God to change us to authentically his people.
The lesson of the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee is that prayer calls us to be humble. We are all in need of God’s Mercy. The prayer of the tax collector is a simple one. He says,” Have mercy on me, a sinner.” Standing before God, our only request is mercy.
The prayer of the Pharisee talk about the things he has done as if these things will impress God. Prayer is about relationship. God knows us better than we know ourselves. The intention for the things we do must come from our genuine self.
We must be humble before God. We all depend on God and his mercy. We must be approach God’s grace with all humility. The way we feel about others and about ourselves are brought into our prayer with gratitude and humility. May God speak to our hearts through the prayers we recite and make us his own in words and deeds.