Parable on the Publican and the Pharisee.

(Luke 18:9-14).

Through His narration of the parable on how two people — a Pharisee and a tax collector — prayed in the temple, the Lord shows what kind of prayer is required of the Lord’s followers so that it can attract His help and protection.

The Pharisee prayed with a feeling of conceit and self-exaltation, promoting his good deeds before God as achievements while denigrating others. The tax collector prayed with the knowledge of his sinfulness and unworthiness. As a result, he went home “justified, rather than the other,” i.e. the Pharisee. Thus, the Lord expresses the purpose of this parable in its concluding words: “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Consequently, one must pray with humility, with a heart-felt penitence over one’s sins. The tax collector’s prayer: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” has become a paradigm for universal usage.