The Lesson of This Sunday
The lesson of this Sunday is that those who wish to be right before God must make God’s concerns their own. The responsorial gives us the unifying theme of today’s readings: “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” The first reading from the Book of Sirach tells us that while God is an impartial listener, the writer goes on to say that God is especially concerned with the weak and the poor.
In the Gospel reading, we are told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. In the second reading, from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy, we hear that he is near the end of his life—having poured himself out for the proclamation of the Gospel.
Questions to Reflect On
When you heard and sang the responsorial psalm at liturgy, what was your reaction? Did the psalm annoy you? Did it sound too political? Did you wonder what it means? Who are the poor people? Do poor people really exist, or are most of those who claim to be poor frauds? What does it mean to be poor?
These are important questions because God seems most concerned about them.
Who Are the Poor?
If we look at the Gospel to answer these questions, we may find even more questions. Who in the Gospel is the poor one?
The poor are those in need and who cannot help themselves. One may be financially wealthy and yet be poor. Poverty comes in many forms. We may be poor in health, knowledge, influence, or even in self-knowledge.
Is it the Pharisee who is poor? The Pharisee is filled with himself, and even his prayer centers on his own accomplishments rather than on God. It is true that the Pharisee fulfilled the laws of religion, but it seems his heart was not converted to God.
Prayerful and faith-filled people have God as their goal. Through prayer and study of Scripture, they learn the mind and heart of God. The faith-filled person is more forgiving, loving, and merciful. Is the Pharisee growing in faith? He believes himself to be perfect—to the point of looking down on others.
Who among us is so perfect as to feel confident before God, the All-Perfect One?
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Is the Tax Collector the poor one? He has been alienated from worship and from his people. In fact, the Tax Collector may have been wealthy. They worked for the Romans, taking their commission from the taxes they collected to support the oppressive Roman Empire.
Tax collectors were despised as traitors by the local population.
The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor
Let us think about this for a moment. The answer is that they are both poor.
The Pharisee is poor in self-knowledge. He thinks he does not need the mercy of God. He is so blinded that he cannot see the truth about himself.
The Tax Collector, who is not religious, knows his faults. He knows he has been dishonest and is far from perfect—and he admits this to God. He clearly seeks mercy in his situation.
In the end, the Tax Collector is the blessed man. He knows he is in poor relationship with God and begs for mercy. He is justified by God because he asks for mercy.
The Pharisee is poor but cannot admit it.
A Call to Mercy
If you wish your prayer to be heard, have mercy on the poor. Never ask God for what you deny others.
If you seek healing, help heal the need of another. None of us is perfect; none is without need. All of us are beggars before God, seeking mercy.
Msgr. Guy A. Massie
October 19, 2025