Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 18:9–14 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard men, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

 

  Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: . . . We don't know precisely to whom this parable was directed, although of course it has applications to all of us.  But perhaps the behavior exemplified by the Pharisee in the parable is comparable to those who complained against Jesus because He received and ate with tax collectors and sinners (see this reading).

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  My study Bible explains that the Pharisee is highly respected and a careful observer of the details of the Law, while the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, who betrays and cheats his own people.  

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"  These practices of the Pharisee are worthy examples to follow, my study Bible points out.  His good deeds (such as fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (that lead to adultery and extortion).  But, my study Bible adds, without a humble and repentance heart, such outward practices are worthless, and lead simply to pride and judgment of others.  It's important to read closely the language used here, that the Pharisee prays with himself.  My study Bible comments that God is absent where there is boasting.

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' "  This tax collector shows by his posture that he's aware of the state of his soul.  He stands far from the altar of sacrifice, and his eyes are cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer.  The refrain "Lord have mercy" permeates worship and personal prayer, my study Bible reminds us.  

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  To be justified means to be forgiven and set right with God, my study Bible explains.  It says that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned. 

 In modern popular language in the West, we hear a lot about the "ego."  This has become synonymous with grandiosity, or flattering portrayals of ourselves, and is often chastised as being mistaken.  Christ's parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector roots us in the reality of this observed behavior, and defines for our consciousness an awareness of the pitfalls of self-exaltation.  As the Gospel frames it, Jesus delivers this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.  What follows in the parable is the expression of this Pharisee essentially flattering himself in his own eyes, although he appears to be addressing God at the altar.  To use another term often heard today in popular culture, this sense of admiring his own reflection is a pattern of narcissism, named from the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus, who drowned as he fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.  But Jesus gives us a better picture of the root of the type of mistake in his thinking and practice this Pharisee makes, when He gives us the terms of the Pharisee's prayer.  As my study Bible points out, Jesus phrases this parable specifically in language that declares that this man prayed, not with God, but with himself.  He is so busy admiring himself and painting this self-flattering image that there is no room for God; he's playing to his own image.  Moreover, it is this flaw that leads the Pharisee to condemnation of others, in that he then turns to the image of the tax collector to further boost his own image of himself.  These are patterns given to us in this very simple parable by Jesus that teach us the roots of a disordered type of behavior, one that causes misery both to ourselves and others.  First of all, Jesus makes it clear that the true saving relationship is that between ourselves and God.  We need to be dependent upon God for our measurement of ourselves and our yardstick.  God is the ultimate reality upon which we can base our sense of ourselves without distortion:  it is in that relationship that we may discover where we are sinful, and where we are loved.  What stands in God's sight remains as good and true, what does not must be discarded.  No one loves and knows us as God does, and there is no other who can teach us who we need to be.  To use terms from the myth of Narcissus, but which are most significant in Christianity, it is only Christ who can give us the true image -- or icon, in theological language -- of who we are and must aspire to become.  Looking at others and comparing, or simply looking at our own image we create, distort the picture of truth.  An inverse sort of narcissism is also possible, wherein for our own harmful emotional reasons, we paint an overly negative picture of ourselves that is nevertheless equally self-centered in its focus.  A toxic guilt is just the flip side of the same coin.  But let us look at the tax collector, who prays with God for help and mercy.  This is not a practice of morbid self-guilt, but one of honesty that leads to hope.  He is accepting the reality of his life, and so much more.  He is putting his trust in God for God's everlasting mercy and love.  Even though he knows he is a sinner, he nonetheless is going to God in trust and seeking to establish himself more deeply in God's love.  It is for this reason that he is justified.  As human beings, we're none of us so perfect we haven't got more in front of us God wants us to learn, to correct, adapt, and to grow toward the image God has of us.  Let us find that way to deepen our reliance on God, seeking God's way for ourselves for what we need to discard, and relying on and trusting in God's love and mercy to take us forward.  For this is the only way to well-being.  Jesus says that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  This Pharisee who exalts himself will be humbled at the judgment of Christ, while the tax collector who humbles himself before God will be exalted.  Let us follow and do likewise, fully relying on God's love and mercy to show us what we truly need for our lives.

 

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

 

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 18:9–14 

 

Yesterday we read the testimony of John the Baptist, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.   

 

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  In today's reading, we're given one of Jesus' parables which sets the tone for Lent.  The lectionary skips over to Luke's Gospel (tomorrow we will continue in John's Gospel) to give us the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  My study Bible explains that in the context of Christ's audience and society, the Pharisee is highly respected as well as a careful observer of the details of the Law.  But the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, betraying and cheating his own people.  

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"   My study Bible points out that the practices of this Pharisee are worthy example to follow; they are particularly important for us to think about during Lent with its traditional emphases for us.  These "good deeds" -- fasting and giving tithes -- my study Bible calls the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, it notes, these outward practices are worthless and lead only to pride and to judgment of others.  On Saturday, we read from Mark's Gospel a passage in which Jesus indicated a similar teaching on hypocrisy, in His comments warning of the practices of the scribes:  "Beware the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation" (Mark 12:38-40).  It is the "humble and repentant heart" that is a necessary component to make such practices effective, and the scribes worthy of the honor they're shown for their office.  In this context, we importantly observe that the text says this Pharisee prays with himself.  My study Bible comments that this is so because God is absent where there is boasting.  

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  My study Bible says that the tax collector shows by his posture an awareness of the state of his soul, standing far from the altar of sacrifice with eyes cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, and the refrain "Lord have mercy" that permeates the worship practices and personal prayer of so many branches of Christian faith.

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  My study Bible indicates that to be justified here means forgiven and set right with God -- for, it says, inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned. 

If there is anything we should seek to cultivate in this period of Lent, it is the practice of deeper and more meaningful prayer.  It seems to be a good time to explore the practice of the Jesus Prayer, which gives opportunity for us always to think of ourselves as in the presence of God the Father, before Christ, and praying with the Spirit.  This article at the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese sets out the basic idea of the prayer and the practice.  This article at Wikipedia also does a fairly decent job of setting out the practice and its theological and historical roots.  But in terms of its basic practice, the form is quite simple.  As indicated by my study Bible, it follows this prayer of the tax collector given as an example by Jesus of one who prays well.  Its most basic form which is frequently given is, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."  But both shorter and longer versions also exist.   The simple, "Lord have mercy" is one such example.  In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, even the name of Jesus Christ is considered to be a prayer.  The important understanding about this prayer is that it is short, it is upheld by Scripture and rooted in Christian theology in that it declares Jesus as Lord, and it can be prayed at any and all times, in any circumstances.  Most importantly, this short repeated prayer is used as a powerful tool to help us to cultivate the mindfulness of prayer at all times.  That is, it is used to cultivate a prayerful orientation to all of life; it can be prayed while we do menial tasks, at any moment when we "remember God" (also an important practice in itself), in the middle of the day or the night.  Its repetition not only gives us a sense of what it means to live a prayerful life, with a prayerful mindset and orientation, it also allows us to experience what it is to let a prayer "sink down" into ourselves and root itself in the heart.  That is, this type of short prayer, repeated to ourselves either throughout the day when we recollect it, or in sessions of contemplative prayer alone and in quiet time to ourselves, roots itself in consciousness.  The practice itself is designed so that it becomes a part of our thinking, so to speak, a practice designed so that we are eventually praying "without ceasing" as St. Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  It is a good practice to decide to cultivate during Lent -- simple to do, simple to start, and need not be taxing to practice so much as it is simply a matter of decision to begin.  The benefits of this prayer practice can be felt right away for each person and in ways that edify and benefit whatever is going on in one's life, helping to reorient ourselves to God at any time, and drawing closer to Christ with the help of the Spirit.  It is rooted in Scripture and in today's teaching by Jesus found in the parable, and can aid and assist us in finding our way to better love God and cultivate the humility of knowing we are in God's presence at all times.  There is a kind of peace that often comes with this prayer.  It also helps us to let go of what we cannot control.  But each person has to find this for oneself in consenting to Christ's presence (Revelation 3:20).  Let us consider adopting the ways that deepen our faith, and help us to rest in and rely more strongly upon our Lord.

God, be merciful to me a sinner!

 

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 18:9-14 

 

As we begin to enter into Lent, the lectionary gives us readings to consider and frame our Lenten journey, particularly in the context of the traditions of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting.  For the Oriental Orthodox, Lent began on Monday; today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for the western churches, Catholic and Protestant; for the Eastern Orthodox Lent will begin this Monday.  Yesterday we were given the story of Jesus on trial before Pilate:   Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.  Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."  Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.  Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king them?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."  Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."

 

  Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  My study Bible explains that the Pharisee is highly respected and a careful observer of the details of the Law, whereas the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, and who betrays and cheats his own people.  

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"  The practices of this Pharisee are worthy examples to follow, my study Bible explains to us.  His good deeds (fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, these outwardly good practices are worthless and lead only to pride and judgment of others.  We are to note that he prays with himself, for God is absent where there is boasting.  

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  My study Bible asks us to observe the posture of the tax collector:  it shows an awareness of the state of his soul, as he stands far from the altar of sacrifice with eyes cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, as is the refrain "Lord have mercy" which permeates worship and personal prayer.   

 

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  To be justified means to be forgiven and set right with God, for inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.

My study Bible explains that to be justified essentially means to be forgiven and set right with God.  In pursuit of that end, we must know that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.  And that is why this particular parable of Jesus is the archetypal parable for Lent, because during Lent our pursuit of the practices of prayer, of almsgiving, and of fasting are particularly directed at "getting right with God," as the expression goes.  And these are the means whereby we pursue that goal, with Lent as the period particularly dedicated to that end.  This period leading up to Easter is the period dedicated to a preparation for the Lord's Resurrection as the One whom we expect to meet at His Second Coming.  It is a time to think about how we are prepared to meet our Lord, what it is that God praises and that God does not.  The emphasis, then, has always been on the cultivation of humility, on the awareness of our own flaws and things we need to restore or repair, the ways in which we need to grow.  But without humility, we can't possibly even know where we need to shape up our thinking and our lives, the errors we fall into, or the ways in which our Lord would not be pleased to meet us.  This parable given by Jesus is the prime example we have of how Jesus teaches us our attitudes should be.  We can all perhaps recognize in modern form what the Pharisee would look like.  Let us note that his whole focus is first of all on his own self-righteousness, leading to a focus on comparison to others.  This is entirely the wrong focus.  Lent is the time when we learn to focus more clearly on God.  We fast from all the things that distract that focus, we just give everything a rest for a while and we think about God, focusing in on prayer and the other practices that help us to remember God and to know what we are to be about.  We attempt to make more space for attention to God.  We don't focus in on our passions and desires and the million and one things the world seems to clamor for us to follow.  The interesting thing about today's parable (or, at any rate, what grabs my attention today) is that God, however, is comparing us!  At least in this case, Jesus (our Lord) is clearly pointing out that one person is praying "with himself" and that the other, however, is quite aware of his own flaws -- and he compares the two for us, and the one aware of his own mistakes comes up justified, and not the nominally "good" Pharisee.  The Jesus Prayer practice mentioned by my study Bible is a simple yet profound practice of short, repeated prayer, developed through the monastic tradition in Orthodoxy.  It is based, for the most part, on the refrain of the penitent tax collector, but also from other passages in the Bible, and particularly from St. Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing."  In the earliest monastic practices of the desert monks, it was common to repeat a short prayer from the Psalms:  "Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord!" (Psalm 70:1).  In this practice, the monastics were continually reminded of their spiritual struggle.  They would repeat it throughout the day, while doing their work or other activities.  Some used small pebbles to mark each recitation.  These short prayers were called "arrow prayers."  In the Eastern monastic tradition, the Jesus Prayer developed, a way to practice in various times and circumstances, including when alone, a short arrow prayer which is repeated and upon which one focuses.   This practice is also called the Prayer of the Heart, for the idea is that the repetition eventually becomes something which deepens itself within us, penetrating to the heart.  For those interested, I recommend this short, inexpensive book by Met. Kallistos Ware, or for a little more depth, this paperback authored in humility by one calling himself A Monk of the Eastern Church, but known to be Fr. Lev Gillet.   Another book teaching about this prayer tradition by Met. Kallistos is this one.  Please note that there are many Western advocates of this prayer who teach that it is meant to be accompanied by breathing exercises, but traditionally in the East this was never a part of the teaching, especially for lay people.  The true practice is simply to repeat the short prayer to oneself, and when you find your mind wandering (which will happen inevitably), just bring your focus back to the prayer.  In this prayer, even the very Name of Jesus is considered a prayer, and will work as an "arrow prayer."  Note that this is a prayer practice, not a meditation practice.  It is a way of "praying without ceasing," of calling upon Jesus and seeking His presence, both simple and profound, as our prayer deepens within us.

 

 

 

God, be merciful to me a sinner

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

- Luke 18:9-14

Yesterday we read that, after teaching about His Second Coming, Jesus taught a parable to His disciples, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  In the common understanding of the time, these two individuals are about as far apart as examples of personal conduct as they can possibly be.  A Pharisee was a highly respected and careful observer of the details of the Law.  The Pharisees were perhaps the most conspicuously righteous of all the groups of people, following not only rather strict interpretations of the Law, but an entire body of traditions built up around the Law as well.  A tax collector was a despised figure.   They were universally viewed with contempt for the job they did, seen as a betrayal of their people as they worked for the occupying Roman authorities.  Moreover, they frequently used the forces of military might in order to extort fellow Jews for extra funds; in effect, cheating them.

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"  My study bible notes here that the practices of the Pharisee are worthy examples for all to follow.  He has good deeds that he does (fasting and giving tithes) which are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, my study bible says, these outward practices aren't effective but rather lead merely to pride and to judgment of others.  Let us pay close attention to the words of Jesus:  this Pharisee prays with himself.  Where is the communion with God in his "perfect" behavior?  My study bible says that God is absent where there is boasting.

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  My study bible comments on the posture of the tax collector in this parable, as given by Jesus.  He was standing afar off from the altar of sacrifice, and would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, and beat his breast.  These are all physical images of repentance, an awareness of the state of his soul, as my study bible puts it.  His prayer, asking, God, be merciful to me a sinner, has become the classic prayer refrain heard in the Church (Lord have mercy, or, in Greek, Kyrie eleison), used both for worship and for personal prayer.  It is also the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, or what is called Prayer of the Heart.

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  My study bible explains that justified here means forgiven and set right with God.  It notes that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.   This is the second time in Luke's Gospel that Jesus has taught that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  The first was in chapter 14, when He spoke to a gathering at the home of a ruler of the Pharisees, teaching the same (see 14:1-14).

What does it really mean to be humble?  We can see, from Jesus' teaching, that the root of humility is really communion with God.   The Pharisee here has great achievements in terms of spiritually "good deeds."  On the surface, we might say, they are works that defy selfishness:  works that speak of sacrifice and also of sharing.  But the Pharisee exalts himself in his failure to be face to face with God, regardless of outward posture.  As Jesus says, he "prays with himself."   The only judgment he therefore seeks is his own.  But the tax collector, as reprehensible as he is, knows his own failure, and this is due to the fact that his posture betrays that he feels he is in the presence of God, and he speaks in the presence of God.  He seeks God's will and not his own.  Therefore it is the latter, the tax collector, who includes in His prayer the honoring of the first and greatest commandment that Jesus names, to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind (see Matthew 22:36-40).  Oh, he may not be perfect at this!  He may have a long way to go for full faith in God, as we all have a ways to go for perfection.  But the key here is that he is making the attempt.  His dejected posture and self-awareness teach us that he sees himself speaking face to face with God, and knows that he's coming up short.  In communion with a loving Father, we need not fear the truth.  Rather, if we really love and know God, we understand that every rebuke and every correction is simply that which is for our own good, to get us on the path to our own place of justification.  Like this tax collector, we seek that place where, face to face with God, we can know ourselves as children in right relationship with our Father, and in right relationship through such with one another.  Humility before God is the point.  To simply seek pleasure in the approving eyes of another is not the same as real faith.   In chapter 6, Jesus has spoken of the "woes" to the Pharisees, saying, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets" (6:26).  In chapter 12, we're told that even among the rulers many believed in Christ, "but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  The real key here to the kind of faith that Jesus is looking for is a living communion with God.  This is a dynamic internal relationship, ongoing.  It is one that shapes us and gives us identity, adding shape and a destiny to our lives for the long run.  It sets us on a journey, that is not so much about the discovery of "new lands" as it is about the ongoing process of getting to know the One to whom we owe all our lives, and who will, in effect, give us our lives and teach us who we really are.  It is a process of ongoing and increasing reliance upon God.  Let us note once again quite carefully that the Pharisee in the story "prays with himself" and that Jesus gives the parable specifically "to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous."  To understand the deepening relationship sought in practices inspired by this parable such as the Jesus Prayer, is to understand that we enter into mystery when we seek real communion with God, and that mystery of God includes the person that God calls us to be, and to become -- a constant state of discipleship on the journey of faith.  It is a call that we respond to from the inside out, and not simply to be seen for the "praise of men."  It is there that we find the humility He asks of us!