Reflections on This Sunday’s Readings

Today is the Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Times, and the readings include the familiar parable (from saint Luke’s Gospel) of the Pharisee and the tax collector: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; and Luke 18:9-14. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 34. To access these readings, please visit:

USCCB: Readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In a reflection on today’s readings (in his homily of today), Abbot Brian Wangler, O.S.B., of Assumption Abbey, Richardton, ND, writes:

“Pride is the sin of good people. Fundamental to pride is self-deception. We can easily see pride in others, but it is hard to see in ourselves. There is, so to speak, the Black Devil and the While Devil. The Black Devil tempts us to break the law. He tempts us to lie, steal, cover up wrong we have done and get a thrill out of getting away with doing something sinful. The White Devil tempts us to obey the law and glory in our obedience.

“Pride is the sin of the virtuous person. It is the sin of the successful person, the righteous person and of the law-abiding person. The Pharisee was all that. He was not greedy, dishonest or adulterous. He fasted twice a week and paid 10% of his income to the church, or to the temple in his day. He was a good person, a pillar of the community, a pillar of the church.

“There was only one problem. He was completely disconnected from God. And, in most ways, he was disconnected with other people. He only brings in other people to drag them down.

“Pride is a sin of the soul. Most other serious sins are more related to the body. Lust, gluttony and envy are, each in their own way, more physical. They are more related to hormonal drives, to physical pleasure or to comparison of oneself to another. Pride is of the soul. It is a sin that isolates us from God. The Pharisee goes to the temple to pray. It is the right thing to do. But he is unconnected with God. He simply speaks to himself. Pride isolates a person. It leaves them cut off from God and others, depending on how great the pride is. . . .

“The difference between the Pharisee and the Tax-Collector is one of attitude. The Pharisee does not need God. He is already perfect in his own mind. He is a prime candidate for pride. Pride has long been considered the worst of all sins. The Tax-Collector needed God. . . .”

In his reflection on today's Gospel reading, Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio notes that the parable teaches us a lot about pride, humility and . . . insanity:

Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio: The Pharisee, the Publican, and Humility

In a related commentary, Msgr. Charles Pope reflects on humility in prayer:

Msgr. Charles Pope: On Humility in Prayer

And Father John Kavanaugh, S. J., reflects on self-righteousness:

John Kavanaugh, S. J.: The Word Engaged: Self-Righteous