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Luke 18:9-11
New Catholic Bible
Luke 18:9-11
New Catholic Bible
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.[a] 9 He also told the following parable to some people who prided themselves about their own righteousness and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and said this prayer to himself: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector.
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- Luke 18:9 What Jesus criticizes is not the Pharisee’s ascetical effort but his sense of self-sufficiency before God, himself, and other human beings, and his harshness toward others. On the other hand, Jesus does not approve of the everyday behavior of the tax collector, but offers his sincerity, humility, and repentance as an example. God’s goodness bewilders us: from it sinners can expect compassion and grace; salvation is an unmerited and unexpected gift.
