[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, October 26, 2025, the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
[00:00:25] This week's episode is entitled: Humble Prayer. And in these readings, we are reminded that we should never assume we are the ones who are righteous, because if we do, we will end up judging and eventually despising others… and that is no way to live!
[00:00:48] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
Jesus tells us that we must acknowledge our own sinfulness, be humble, and always seek God's mercy, which will - in turn - help us to be the generous, kind, and caring people God intends us to be. But when we hear a different message, as we often do in our me-first,
self-centered society, we must learn to listen to the Gospel rather than the world. So, how do we learn to trust in God rather than ourselves?
[00:01:37] Let's begin.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of sacred Scripture which teaches us humility. Help us to turn to you in every circumstance and to trust in you rather than ourselves for we long to become the righteous, compassionate, kind, and loving people you created us to be. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:20] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures.
[00:02:26] Our Gospel this week is from Luke 18: 9-14.
[00:02:33] “[Jesus addressed this parable] to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.” But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”
This week's passage follows immediately after last week's, and in it Jesus presents another parable about prayer… and where the parable we heard last week focused on being persistent in prayer, this week focuses more on the attitudes we should, or shouldn't, have when we pray. This parable is also found only in Luke. And remember, Jesus is still on the way to Jerusalem… he is still accompanied by his disciples and still followed by crowds. The interesting thing is that Jesus addresses his parables now to different groups at different times - depending upon the lesson he needs to impart.
[00:04:40] Sometimes he speaks only to his disciples, other times he addresses the entire crowd gathered to hear him, and on still other occasions, he speaks to just a subset of those who are following him. Maybe not by stating so outright, but that's his intent. Nevertheless, this parable is one of those instances.
[00:05:09] So, let's listen to this parable and try not to be Jesus's target audience!
[00:05:16] “[Jesus addressed this parable] to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others:”
[00:05:27] Again, notice the intended audience. This time Jesus isn't choosing his audience based on identity - it's all about attitude. His words are being heard by everyone, but they are addressed specifically to those with hardened hearts.
[00:05:51] “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”
Jesus uses two characters in his parable that would have been familiar to everyone in his audience. In fact, there probably were Pharisees within his audience! And these were people whose actions and attitudes would have been well-known and predictable… and then Jesus turns everything upside down!
“The Pharisee stood”
With those words, Jesus introduces our first character - the one whom his audience would assume is the good guy - and this Pharisee is standing, which was a common posture for prayer. Then Jesus says…
“and prayed thus with himself.”
[00:06:51] Notice what Jesus says about the Pharisees prayer… he “prayed with himself”… not to God, but with himself. He's obviously not getting off to a good start.
[00:07:11] “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, ‘
[00:07:16] And when we hear that, we have to think… uh oh! After all, what has Jesus been teaching about pride and humility? Not only is this Pharisee thankful that he is not like others, but look at those to whom he will compare himself in the next phrase… he has a pretty darned jaundiced view of humanity.
[00:07:47] “extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.”
[00:07:58] And, and yes, I read that in a very specific manner… but even if you just look at the words on the page, you can hear the disdain dripping from the mouth of this Pharisee. And with those words, we are finally introduced to the other main character in our story… the person that Jesus’ audience would assume was the bad guy. And the Pharisee goes on…
“I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.”
[00:08:41] The prayer of this Pharisee sounds more like self-congratulation than humility… as if the Pharisee is so impressed with himself that all he has to do is roll all of his accomplishments off of his tongue and God will be as impressed. Hmm, that doesn't actually line up with what Jesus has been teaching, does it?
[00:09:14] “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,”
This is a man who is fully aware of his own faults and wrongdoings and recognizes his need for forgiveness and mercy.
[00:09:51] And the tax collector…
“beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’”
[00:09:56] This prayer expresses the tax collector's sorrow and humility. It acknowledges his shame and remorse, and it pleads with God for mercy. This man isn't trying to impress God with all of his wonderful accomplishments; he simply begs for God's mercy.
[00:10:31] Jesus then says…
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other;”
[00:10:41] To be justified means to be put in right relation with God. And Jesus says, it was the tax collector who was justified, not the Pharisee. That would have stunned Jesus' audience… and it would have - honestly - angered any Pharisees that were in the crowds.
[00:11:05] Remember, Jesus directed this parable to anyone who - like the Pharisee in the parable - trust in themselves and despise others. Recall too, that I said at the beginning of this episode… that is no way to live! Not for any of us! But it's becoming all too common for a lot of us.
[00:11:40] Jesus then finishes this parable with the following words…
[00:11:45] “for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
[00:12:00] You may remember that we heard that at the end of August on the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. I said then that we would hear those words again - and here they are.
[00:12:10] Jesus’ parable at the time had to do with assuming the place of honor at a banquet… this time they remind us that we must be humble - not just in life, not just in our outward actions - but also in our prayer before God.
[00:12:34] Nothing we do can impress God!
[00:12:40] Let me say that again… nothing we do can impress God!
[00:12:50] God already knows us… he knows us better than we know ourselves… he knows our hearts and our minds, he knows what motivates us and what holds us back, he knows what we do and what we fail to do.
[00:13:11] And in spite of everything, he loves us… because God is love, therefore, he will always love us, even when we're wrong, even when we fail, even when we make mistakes, even when we don't do our best, even when we judge others, even when we despise others.
[00:13:40] Despite the fact that that goes against everything Jesus taught, God still loves us.
[00:13:51] And Jesus reminds us - in this parable - to acknowledge our own sinfulness, our mistakes, our failings, all the times that we judge and despise others, all the wrong that we do.
[00:14:13] He also reminds us that we should be humble and always seek God's mercy.
[00:14:23] If we focus on all the good that we think we do, all the good decisions we think we make, all the righteous actions we think we take… we could be WRONG!
[00:14:39] Instead, if we question what we do, if we question our actions, and if we hold everything up to what Jesus says in the Gospel and realize that we're not always good, what we do isn't always right, then we can be humble.
[00:15:00] In the midst of our selfish, self-centered society, that can be an exceedingly challenging concept to hold onto.
[00:15:14] But with God's love and mercy, with Jesus’ persistent teaching and the grace he bestows on us, and with the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit, we have the strength to trust in God rather than ourselves so that we can truly become the generous, kind, and caring people God created us to be.
[00:15:52] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Sirach 35: 12b-14, 16-18a.
[00:16:02] “[T]he Lord is the judge, and with him is no partiality. He will not show partiality in the case of a poor man; and he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged. He will not ignore the supplication of the fatherless, nor the widow when she pours out her story. He whose service is pleasing to the Lord will be accepted, and his prayer will reach to the clouds. The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord; he will not desist until the Most High visits him, and the just judge executes judgment. And the Lord will not delay.”
[00:16:58] At the end of our Gospel explanation, I mentioned the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Well, we also heard from Sirach then, too.
[00:17:09] That was a passage about wisdom and humility from chapter 3, this passage from chapter 35 is a teaching about piety, social responsibility, and divine judgment.
[00:17:24] Remember, Sirach is part of the Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament, and it is included in the canon of Scripture for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, but it is not in the canon for Protestants or Jews.
[00:17:41] I find it particularly curious that it's not in the Jewish Bible because Sirach is often cited in the Jewish Talmud (one of the central texts of Rabbinic teaching).
[00:17:56] Now, this book was written by Yeshua ben Sira between 196 and 175 BC and it is a compilation of wisdom sayings and ethical teachings.
[00:18:14] Just before this passage begins, the text warns that God cannot be bribed by extravagant gifts nor impressed by human accomplishments. Rather, everything that is offered to the Lord, be it temple sacrifice or individual prayer, must be informed by concern for justice.
[00:18:44] The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable would have done well to pay closer attention to that admonition!
[00:18:53] So, let's keep that in mind ourselves as we listen to what Sirach has to say…
[00:19:00] “[T]he Lord is the judge, and with him is no partiality.”
[00:19:07] In other words, God doesn't play favorites.
[00:19:11] “He will not show partiality in the case of a poor man;”
[00:19:16] What Sirek means is that God will not display bias for or against any particular group, not even the poor, and that his judgments will always be just.
[00:19:32] Now, we also have to keep in mind that the Torah, what Christians call the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), are very clear regarding how widows, orphans, immigrants, refugees, strangers, how all of these vulnerable groups must be treated… that they must be treated fairly and justly.
[00:20:04] But Sirach is saying that God's judgments will always be just.
[00:20:11] Then Sirach goes on and says…
“he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.”
[00:20:18] God will not render an unjust judgment. God hears all of our prayers; he just isn't terribly impressed when we sit there and rattle off a list of our own accomplishments. As I said earlier, he already knows our hearts and our minds, therefore our accomplishments are not what matters to him.
[00:20:50] “He will not ignore the supplication of the fatherless, nor the widow when she pours out her story.”
[00:20:59] Having just said that God will not display a bias for or against the poor simply because they are poor… again, let me stress that the Torah (or the Pentateuch in the Christian Old Testament) does grant special protections for vulnerable social groups; and while the poor do fall into that category, so do widows, orphans, refugees, and immigrants.
[00:21:32] Those are groups that are, often, through no fault of their own, experience significant hardship with little hope of assistance. It was that way in biblical times, and it is still that way today, unfortunately.
“He whose service is pleasing to the Lord will be accepted,”
[00:22:00] Sirach means those who do God's will, those who remain faithful to God's Covenant, will earn God's favor.
[00:22:12] Now, I would be remiss if I did not mention that - on a broader level - Sirach is also talking about the significant oppression that was experienced by the people of Israel under a whole series of foreign rulers… not under the specific rule of a particular group of Gentiles, but the tyranny of Gentile oppression in general - down through the ages.
[00:22:49] So not just individuals, but also the nation of Israel, is who Sirach is really talking about.
[00:22:59] “and his prayer will reach to the clouds.”
[00:23:03] Remember that clouds are often used in Scripture to symbolize God's presence… think of the pillar of cloud that led the Israelites out of Egypt in the daytime during the Exodus or the dense cloud through which God spoke to Moses atop Mount Sinai.
[00:23:26] And our humility, the awareness of our dependence upon God and the need for his mercy, is what allows our prayers to be carried up to God in the heavens. So, what Sirach really means is that when God's faithful servant prays, that prayer will be carried up into God's presence and nothing will hinder its progress.
[00:23:54] Then he says what sounds like it might be the same thing, but it's actually something different.
[00:24:01] “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord; he will not desist until the Most High visits him, and the just judge executes judgment.”
[00:24:20] That's sort of the next step in the process. Sirach is saying that Israel's faithful prayer will not only reach God (that's what he meant in the previous line: The prayer will reach the clouds). Now he says the prayer will pierce the clouds… it will be heard and consolation will come when God answers Israel's prayer and punishes Israel's oppressors.
[00:24:55] That's the broader context of Sirach's message, but there's also the individual context… we can't ignore either one. Sirach is also talking about the humble individual.
[00:25:17] His prayer will not only speed toward the clouds, but will pierce the clouds. It will come before God, and God will hear the prayer and provide consolation in God's time and according to God's plan.
[00:25:39] “And the Lord will not delay.”
Meaning that just judgment will come quickly. That is a bit problematic. I know I've said this time and time again - but God created time and exists outside of time. The kingdom of heaven exists outside of time.
[00:26:05] Mankind, however, exists within God's creation and is subject to time. So, what appears soon to God may seem like a delay to us.
[00:26:23] That's why Jesus told us last week that persistent prayer is so important. And God is the just judge who can neither be bribed nor impressed; God rights whatever wrongs are committed, regardless of who is responsible, whether it is the rich or the poor, because he sees the intent - he sees what is in a person's heart, he sees their motives.
[00:26:59] God's justice means that he will always act to establish, restore, and maintain righteousness within his creation. When we are tempted to indulge our anger toward others, to seek revenge for perceived slights or wrongs or insults, to judge others because they think or act differently than we do, we have to remember that is not God's way! That we must trust in God - who is the just judge - to establish, restore, and maintain his justice… not our justice, his justice!
[00:28:02] We must trust God to ensure his righteousness, not ours. Because we aren't always righteous, we aren't always just, and we have to know and trust that God is.
[00:28:22] That brings us to our Responsorial Psalm, which is Psalm 34, and the refrain is:
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him.”
[00:28:34] Now I always try to point out when there are significant differences in the translation of our Psalm. The NAB translates that as: “The Lord hears the cry of the poor,” while the Grail Psalter translates it as: “The lowly one called, the LORD heard.” Again, I'm not certain exactly what you will hear in your home parish this weekend, but whatever you hear, it should at least be familiar in some way, and it should correspond to one of the texts that I just read.
[00:29:17] Remember, too, that despite different scriptural translations, Psalm composers must sometimes rely on dynamic translations rather than literal translations to fit the text to the music that God has inspired them to write… so just keep that in mind.
[00:29:52] And here are the verses:
“My soul makes its boast in the LORD; Let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
“When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.”
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all. The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”
[00:30:41] This Psalm is a Thanksgiving Psalm that also contains some elements of a Wisdom Psalm. And let me elaborate… the Psalm text praises God for deliverance from trouble, which is a common theme of Thanksgiving Psalms, while also stressing the power of prayer and reliance on the Lord, which are common themes in Wisdom Psalms.
[00:31:14] The text tells us that the humble exalt God in the first stanza, that God hears the cry of the righteous in the second stanza, and that God delivers the brokenhearted and the afflicted in the third stanza, making it abundantly clear why the Lectionary pairs this Psalm with our passage from Sirach and our Gospel.
[00:31:43] That takes us to our Second Reading, which is from 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 16-18.
[Beloved:] I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
This is the fourth and final passage we hear from 2 Timothy this summer and it is very close to the end of the book. This is, in a way, Paul's final farewell to Timothy. As I've been saying for the past few weeks, Paul is in prison, he knows that his execution is imminent, and although he has been making a plea to Timothy to come to Rome - he also knows how dangerous travel can be and that Timothy might not arrive in time. And I know I've also talked a lot over the past few weeks about the debate among Scripture scholars regarding this letter, but there are a couple of things I'd like to mention here before we finish up with 2 Timothy.
Scholars who have suggested that Paul was not the author of the Pastoral Letters reached that conclusion because only one Roman imprisonment is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Therefore, they believe that Paul was only a prisoner in Rome once. Because the details of this imprisonment are sufficiently different from Paul's initial imprisonment, as described in Acts, these scholars have concluded that the Pastoral Letters were actually written by one of Paul's followers using Paul's name. Again, I just want you to be aware that - while there is a difference of opinion regarding these letters - the opinion that Paul is not the author is by no means held by a majority of mainstream Scripture scholars.
[00:34:53] Most Scripture scholars, however, feel that Paul is in fact the author of those Pastoral Letters. That he was released after two years of house arrest that are recorded in Acts 28 (which - by the way - is the very end of Acts), and then later incarcerated for a second time prior to his execution in 67 AD - that time, however, he was held in an actual Roman prison rather than under house arrest as he was the first time around.
It's important to realize that this disagreement didn't even arise until the 19th century. Prior to that time, Paul was universally regarded as the author of the Pastoral Letters. In fact, early Church Fathers from Polycarp to Irenaeus to Tertullian all directly asserted that Paul was the author of the Pastoral Letters. I will not be the one to resolve this debate, nor will you, but it is, nevertheless, worthwhile to know that such a debate exists and why it arose in the first place.
[00:36:02] That's why I have been explaining this to you all along.
[00:36:07] There is one last thing I want to mention, and it has to do with Paul summoning Timothy to Rome in this letter. I know that I've said, more than once, that Paul was feeling isolated and abandoned, which is what prompted him to write to Timothy and ask him to come to Rome.
[00:36:24] Interestingly enough, that particular summons takes place within the verses that are omitted by the Lectionary from this week's passage. In fact, it is verse 9 that says: “Do your best to come to me soon!” I've mentioned that enough that I thought you should probably hear it for yourselves, even though it's not technically part of this week's passage. So, with all of that in mind, let's listen to what Paul says to Timothy…
“[Beloved:] I am already on the point of being sacrificed;”
The Greek word Paul uses there is spendomai, which means being poured out. The NAB translates that as “I am already being poured out.” And Paul is referring to what is called a drink-offering or a libation, where wine was poured out at the base of the altar in the temple as an offering to God. Paul sees his suffering and possible martyrdom as an act of sacrifice offered to God. That's why the RSV translates that as “being sacrificed.”
“the time of my departure has come.”
Paul uses departing on a voyage as a metaphor for his death, and Timothy traveled with Paul often enough to fully understand the significance of those words.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
[00:38:04] Athletic metaphors were common in Paul's writing… “fought the good fight” and “finished the race” both express accomplishment and fulfillment.
[00:38:15] But when Paul says he has “kept the faith” - that phrase encompasses so much more than simple accomplishment or fulfillment of a task. Paul is talking about faith in God and in Jesus Christ, certainly, but he's also talking about his Jewish faith, which he felt was so essential in teaching about and passing on faith in the Risen Jesus. He is talking about faith in the good news of Jesus’ Life, Death, and Resurrection; he is talking about faith in his mission as the apostle to the Gentiles; and he is talking about faith in the salvation that awaits him in the kingdom of heaven. Paul lived his life and undertook his ministry - as both a Pharisee and a Christian - with honor and integrity, and he is saying, in essence, that he always did the very best he could.
[00:39:32] “From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,”
[00:39:37] Do not think that Paul is anything like the Pharisee in the Gospel - he is not offering a list of his own personal accomplishments. And remember, this is a letter addressed to Timothy, not a prayer offered to God. And besides, Timothy would have been well aware of Paul's accomplishments, as he was a frequent companion of Paul's during many of his Missionary Journeys.
[00:40:03] So, when Paul says “crown of righteousness,” he is alluding to eternal life in heaven but seeing it through the lens of athletic accomplishments. A laurel wreath was awarded to victorious athletes, so Paul is picturing that award when he talks about the “crown of righteousness” and is seeing simply carrying that metaphor to its logical end.
“which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day,”
[00:40:38] It's worth noting that the word “Day” in the text is capitalized - so Paul is specifically referring to the Day of Judgment.
“and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
[00:40:53] Paul means the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of time.
[00:40:59] Remember, Paul was a Pharisee before he encountered the Risen Jesus on the road to Damascus and the Pharisees believed in individual life after death, with rewards for the righteous and punishment for the wicked.
“At my first defense no one took my part, all deserted me.”
This is one of those clues that I mentioned earlier. If you read about Paul's various trials in the Acts of the Apostles, there is no mention of Paul being deserted. Shipwrecked? Yes. On the way from Caesarea to Rome, which is how Paul ended up on the island of Malta - but deserted by his supporters? No, that's not mentioned.
[00:41:43] “May it not be charged against them!”
[00:41:46] Even now, Paul holds no animosity toward those supporters who have deserted him. Paul understood the fear that Christians were experiencing, and he did not blame them for it.
[00:42:02] Most scholars believe this took place during the reign of Nero - a vicious man who, after ordering the murder of his own wife, mother, and step-brother - had no apparent difficulty in ordering the extensive torture and execution of Christians… including the eventual execution of both Paul and Peter.
“But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength”
[00:42:31] No matter how often human beings may have deserted Paul… or beaten him… or stoned him… or left him for dead… regardless of all of that,Paul knew that God would never desert him.
“to proclaim the word fully,”
Let me put those together…
“But the Lord (God) stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully,”
Meaning to preach the good news of Jesus - not only on his extensive journeys to the Gentiles - but in Rome as well, during his first imprisonment. Acts 28 does say that Paul taught in Rome “openly and unhindered.”
“that all the Gentiles might hear it.”
Both on his Missionary Journeys and during his first imprisonment in Rome when he was under house arrest.
[00:43:32] “So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.”
[00:43:35] It was, in fact, Paul's Roman citizenship that saved him from that particular fate. Roman citizens would not have been executed in that manner, although many Christians were devoured by lions or other wild beasts.
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom.”
Paul's absolute confidence and trust in God is what enables him to make that assertion. That is the same confidence that accompanied many Christian martyrs to their fate in the early centuries of the Church.
[00:44:16] “To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
[00:44:22] That is what is called a doxology - which is a liturgical expression of praise.
[00:44:28] It's important to note that every New Testament doxology has the same four elements:
The first element - is an object of praise… in this instance Paul says: “To him” meaning the Lord.
The second element - is an expression of praise… here that expression is: “be the glory.”
The third element - is a time frame… which here is: “for ever and ever.”
And the fourth element - is a confirmatory response… in this instance, as in most cases, that confirmatory response is: “Amen.”
So, when you put it all together: an object of praise, an expression of praise, a time frame, and a confirmatory response - that all comes together as:
“To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
[00:45:27] And all of that together is a New Testament doxology. I also want to point out that this doxology is not the end of the letter! It seems like it should be, but it's not.
[00:45:41] Four verses actually follow after this doxology… including some travel advice to “come before winter!”
[00:45:50] While it may seem somewhat natural to listen to what Paul says here in this letter and compare some of it to the Pharisee in Jesus' parable - that's really not the point. Again, Paul isn't ticking off a list of accomplishments in a prayer to God as the Pharisee was. He is, in truth, a man - alone and afraid - facing his own imminent death.
[00:46:20] And while it's highly unlikely that any of us will ever face our own execution… we all will come face-to-face with death at some point.
[00:46:32] All we can hope for is to approach that moment with the same confidence and trust in God that Paul had,
the thanksgiving expressed by the Psalmist,
the assurance in God's justice expressed by Sirach,
and the humility of the tax collector in Jesus’ parable.
[00:47:01] And the only way we will ever be able to do any of that is if we ignore the promptings of society, social media, and the voices in our world that promote hatred and division… the same voices that tell us it's okay to trust in ourselves rather than God, the same voices that say it's okay to judge and hate the poor, the outcast, and the stranger, rather than to love and care for them as Jesus taught.
[00:47:38] Jesus tells us to acknowledge our sinfulness, be humble, and seek God's mercy. So, that is precisely how we learn to trust in God rather than ourselves.
[00:47:57] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you - safe and secure - in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
