30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C (October 26, 2025)

In today’s Gospel, Luke poses an important question about discipleship: Who is righteous, unrighteous, and self-righteous? In other words, who is saved?

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself: ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and prayed: ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

First, notice those to whom Jesus addresses this parable: “those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” God alone can make a person righteous, that is, saved. The Pharisee here places himself on equal footing with God by declaring his own righteousness. He also is guilty of pride in the way he despises others and places himself above “the rest of humanity.” The Pharisee puts on a show – during prayer! – by declaring how “generous” he is in his tithing. And yet he despises the rest of humanity. Such hypocrisy!

In contrast, the tax collector, traditionally considered the lowest of the low in Jewish society, can only pray humbly that God will show him mercy for his sinfulness. The lesson is quite clear to the disciples who are on the road with Jesus, and to us who journey with him through our Christian life: Salvation is not something that we earn through our own devices. We cannot depend on ourselves if we want to be saved. We can only depend on God’s mercy. God alone is enough!

There is an obvious gap between these two Gospel personalities, but the purpose of this parable is not to discourage piety and religious practice. We are certainly called to a life of prayer! Rather, the message is that we need to pray and practice our faith with humility.

It’s a challenging question that we disciples must ask ourselves: Does our prayer life reflect the pride of the Pharisee? Or the humility of the tax collector? When we stand before God in judgment, will we boast of our good works? Or will we rely on the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ?