There is a story about Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, who visited a prison and talked with each of the inmates. He heard endless tales of innocence, of misunderstood motives, and of exploitation. Finally, the king stopped at the cell of one inmate who said nothing. “Well,” remarked Frederick, “I suppose you are an innocent victim too?” “No, sir, I’m not,” replied the man. “I’m guilty and await my punishment.” Turning to the warden, the king said, “Here, release this man before he corrupts all these fine, innocent people in here!” Thus, this man became the recipient of the King’s mercy. Not because he was innocent, but because he was humble.

There’s a story in Luke’s’ gospel ( Luke 18 : 9-14 ) about a Pharisee and a tax collector who went up to the temple to pray.

A tax collector, in Jesus’ day, was generally regarded as a person of low moral standards. He worked for the pagan Romans, fraternized with them, and constantly handled their unclean money. As a result, he was believed to be in a state of ritual uncleanliness. As far as the religion of the day was concerned tax collectors were public sinners on the highway to hell. But the tax collector in Luke 18 knew that the voice of the leaders is not always the voice of God. He put His trust not on the merit of any religious or moral achievement, but on the gracious mercy of God.

The Pharisee, in the story, believed in a discriminating God who loves good people and hates bad people. People tend to behave like the God they believe in. So the Pharisee only loved people like himself and looked down on public sinners like the tax collectors. The humble tax collector trusted, not in himself or in anything he had done, but only in God’s mercy. This is the person who prayed: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” and he left the temple more justified than the self-righteousness Pharisee and at peace with God.

We should learn from the tax collector the secret of God’s Mercy.

Firstly, we should not listen to other people who tell us that God is so angry with us that He cannot be merciful and forgiving.

Secondly, we should acknowledge our sins, humbly, and entrust ourselves to the generous mercy of God which is greater than any sins we might have committed.

Finally, we should never look down on any of our fellow sinners but try to lead them to appreciate God’s Mercy rather than condemning them like the self-righteous Pharisee.

Let this then be our ardent prayer today : “God, have mercy on me, a sinner,”

Fr. Hugh Duffy