Dear Friends of Carmel Mission,
In the Gospel this weekend, we listen to the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, and we are given an example of prayer in it’s purest form:
O God, be merciful to me a sinner
Talk about a reality check!
In the prayer of the tax collector we lie naked before God, stripped of our inclination towards self righteousness, we face the searing reality of our sinfulness. The false facades fade away as we gaze at the mirror of truth. All pretense is put aside.
This is the prayer that can be spoken by every human being who chooses sincerity and honesty rather than self-deception and vanity. We unashamedly cry out to God for what we most need, i.e. mercy. We recognize our need and we go to God, the source of immeasurable mercy. God never fails to grant mercy to those who seek it. God’s great desire is that we in turn be merciful towards others. Sometimes we find that a very difficult challenge, because we are more comfortable dressed up in the designer robes of the Pharisee.
Prayer is not supposed to be a vain attempt on our part to impress God with a long litany of our good deeds and achievements. Mature prayer is a plea to God to give us mercy.
May God grant us mercy and may we be merciful towards others.
Blessings,
Fr. Paul
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