Jesus then 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 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." 

The group sings that there is still time to turn the relationship around, but it does not look like it will. The man in the relationship is thinking exactly like he should: he is deciding whether he can live with the situation or not, and he is at the point of finally beginning to understand. Young people about to make a permanent commitment must do this type of thinking as they prepare for that commitment. Making a decision that will last forever is serious business, and too often there is too little preparation for it.

The difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector in Jesus' story went far beyond the question of what type of prayer they were offering. It had to do with a lifestyle. As Jesus interacts with the Pharisees in the Gospels, we understand what might be called the "Pharisee problem"--they simply could not see beyond themselves because they believed that there was nothing beyond themselves. In Jesus' story, the Pharisee was in the synagogue to tell God what to do because he felt that he understood everything about life; the tax collector, on the other hand, was there to listen to God because he knew that he needed help before he could understand anything.

Too many people in today's world have the "Pharisee problem." They move into whatever they think is right without the help of anyone else, as if they are totally sufficient to decide what to do. They even make permanent commitments with very little preparation. The person in the song "Not Meant To Be" may have been like that at one time, but he is slowly beginning to understand. The relationship that he was thinking about was not working out, and so he begins some serious reflection about it, perhaps even discovering that he needs some help from another, perhaps even concluding that he should give up the relationship. As he says, he is "starting to see."

There are many important decisions that are made in life, some of them early on--whether or not to go to college, what college major to undertake, the decision to live together with someone, the decision to marry, and so forth. The decisions must never be taken lightly. We cannot fall into the "Pharisee problem," that is, we cannot allow ourselves to think that we have all the answers without anyone's help. We must take the time to prepare ourselves for such decisions, seeking guidance from God and others. If we do not, then our futures could very easily be a burden for us and for others.                 

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, when it comes to our futures, we know that we need your help. There are so many directions that we could go. Give us the grace to understand what we have to do in order to accomplish the goals that we have. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America