Access daily Mass readings, meditations and articles, as well as special resources, by becoming a subscriber or logging in. Subscribers: Please log in to view the Mass readings. Not a subscriber? Subscribe for only $12 (Save $4). One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. (Luke 18:10) Blind spots. We all have them. Whether due to our upbringing, our past experiences, our prejudices, or our fears, none of us sees a situation with complete clarity. That’s why Jesus told this parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector. He saw that some of his listeners had blind spots that “convinced” them “of their own righteousness” compared to “everyone else” (Luke 18:9). Jesus wanted to help them see more clearly, and he can do the same for us. How? Well, think about the Pharisee in this parable. He assumed that the tax collector was more sinful than he was simply because he was a tax collector. That assumption blinded him to how prayerful and humble and repentant the tax collector was. It even blinded him to the fact that the man was in the Temple in the first place! But if we feel a sense of relief that we’re not self-righteous or arrogant or judgmental like this fellow, we might, ironically, be suffering from our own blind spot. Just as he was blind to his need for God, we can be just as blind to our own neediness or faults. We might focus on the way we take the time to go to Mass and pray but still miss subtle (or not so subtle) prejudices that we harbor. We might take comfort in knowing that we keep most of the commandments but quietly gloss over our own “slip ups” when they happen—and still judge someone else’s “slip ups” harshly. Jesus said that the Pharisee did not go home justified (Luke 18:14). And neither will we if we judge people (Matthew 7:1). That could include the modern-day “Pharisees” whose devotion and faith rub us the wrong way. It could also include the modern-day “tax collectors” whose views or values don’t match up with ours in one area or another. We can’t allow our blind spots to reduce anyone to just one or two aspects of their lives. Let’s ask Jesus to change our hearts. Let’s ask him to give us humble, repentant hearts—like the tax collector. “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”3rd Week of Lent
DAILY MASS READINGS AVAILABLE WITH A SUBSCRIPTION
Daily Meditation: Luke 18:9-14
Hosea 6:1-6
Psalm 51:3-4, 18-21