March 17, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Read It:
Jesus 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."

Reflect on It: I know that more often than not, I am like the Pharisee, who says, "Look Jesus, I'm praying...Look at me! I'm awesome." We are called to be like the tax collector who says, Be merciful to me Oh God. Today, we are called to be mindful of the mercy of the Lord. We are owed nothing in this world, although our culture would tell us differently. God is good to us and merciful. What if we got what we truly deserved? Today, let's be truly mindful of the mercy of God.

Pray About It: Lord, have mercy on me a sinner. Amen!

Live It! Challenge: Today, spend 10 minutes in prayer really asking the Lord to be merciful to you.