Whoever Humbles Himself Will Be Exalted

In today's Gospel we hear about two men who go to the temple in prayer in drastically different ways. The first is a pharisee, a man who claims to offer much to the Lord, boasting about what he has done, how he is better than others, and even boasts about being better than another sinner present in the temple. The second man, the sinner in the temple, says only a few words to the Lord in prayer. This man beats his breast and asks God to have mercy on him, for he admits that he is a sinner who is nothing without God. The parable concludes with the beautiful scripture, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." There is no doubt that both men went to the temple for two different reasons. The first went boasting and had no love in his heart for God, as he did not really pray but went about speeking of his good and the bad of the other man in the temple. On the other hand, the sinner and man the pharisee claims to be a horrible man, is the man who takes himself to the Lord in genuine prayer and is transformed from death to life because of his understanding that God is the one who makes us complete and holy. God loved both men before they entered the temple, He loved both men in the temple, and loved both men after they left the temple. For the Love of God cannot be earned. However, it is evident that the sinner, not the Pharisee, was the one who was justified because the sinner was the one who proved his love for God in his humble prayer and reliance on the Lord. The Pharisee was too caught up in what he had done, and did not even realize that he needed the Lord because he was much worse off than the sinner, the Pharisee's soul being misdirected by his boasting and lack of humility. Therefore, let us strive to be like the second man, the sinner, as we are all sinners who must be humble and realize that all we have and all we are is dependent on the Lord our God. For those who rely on the Lord and remain humble in this lifetime surely will be made pure and holy and will rejoice in the Eternal banquet, exalting with the Lord forever in paradise. "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Its the humble heart that justifies and its the humble one whom pleases God.