COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST:

Place yourself in the Temple scene of today’s Gospel reading. You see the Pharisee standing at the front and hear him tell God about his accomplishments. Then you notice the tax collector and hear him simply admit his weaknesses to God. Now invite the Holy Spirit to join you in prayer. Ask the Spirit to show you a weakness in your life that you are afraid to let him see.

SERVING OTHERS: 

It is easy to be blinded by spiritual sins like arrogance and vanity. But how can we recognize the sins we can’t see? By looking at our thoughts about other people. If we look into our hearts and discover that we entertain vindictive, self-righteous thoughts, and that we take pleasure in criticizing others, then we realize places where we need to conquer our own pride.