Dear Community:

This Sunday, Jesus invites us to look into our hearts with humility. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector reminds us that true prayer does not come from pride or from comparing ourselves to others, but from sincerity before God.

The Pharisee stands before the Lord listing his merits; the tax collector, on the other hand, can only say: “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And it is the latter who goes home justified, because those who recognize their smallness and their need for God’s mercy open their hearts to true love.

In our daily lives, we too can fall into the same mistake as the Pharisee: judging others, feeling superior, or thinking that we are already “doing enough.” But the Lord looks beyond appearances. What He desires is a humble heart, ready to be transformed by His grace.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit today to teach us to pray with simplicity and truth, to live with humble and grateful hearts, and to recognize in every person a brother or sister loved by God.

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)

Rev. Julio Fernandez