Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 21, 2020
Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’
“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
“I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Sometimes I think that the Pharisees take a lot of the blame that is meant for us in the Gospel. Jesus often uses them as an example of how easy it is to take our faith to extremes that blind us to our own problems and prevent us from loving each other as neighbors.
In this passage, the Pharisee is calling out his own strengths and rightfully thanking God for the gifts he’s been given, but in doing so he compares himself to others in the room with what is clearly pride and judgment.
Tax collectors, whom the Jews of the time knew from experience were often quick to steal and punish unjustly, made an easy target for the Pharisee’s judgment. How easy it is for me to fall into this way of thinking! I often judge others for their misdeeds, real or perceived, even if I’ve only heard about them second or third hand. Sometimes it is easier to see the sins and weaknesses of others rather than their strengths.
In doing so, we can also think of our own transgressions as less important than what others may be doing, and we can con ourselves into thinking our sins aren’t really that bad. We might think: “Do I really even need forgiveness?” Notice that the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable didn’t even talk to God about his own sins which, of course–like the rest of us–are always present.
The great humility of the tax collector shows us how we should approach God. His spontaneous prayer shows that he knows God’s presence. He cries out for mercy with full acknowledgment of his sins, trusting that God will forgive him.
As Catholics, we are blessed to have the sacrament of reconciliation available to us so that we can humbly follow this path to acknowledge our sins, asking God to forgive us through his mercy and grace. Hopefully, through that grace, we can, in turn, forgive others for their trespasses against us.
Prayer
God of mercy and compassion, you justify the humble and humble the self-exalted. Look upon us poor sinners with the gaze of your love. Grant us the wisdom to recognize our sins. Convict our hearts so that we make seek true contrition. Fill us with a burning zeal for conversion, and bestow on us the grace to seek your forgiveness. O God, be merciful to me a sinner! Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Maria Candida of the Eucharist is a patient and tender model of holiness whose love for God and passion for the Eucharist as the foundation of the Christian life is an inspiration. Maria Candida, born Maria Barba, became a Carmelite in Italy and devoted herself to making the Eucharist the foundation of her spiritual life.
Maria was born in January 1884 to a large Italian family in Southern Italy. She was the tenth of twelve children, although only seven survived childhood. Raised in a devout household, Maria was formed in a rich Catholic imagination. When she would greet her mother coming home from church, Maria would cry: "I want to receive God, too." Maria received her First Communion when she was ten years old, and, from that moment onward, she experienced an even greater love and devotion for the Eucharist. The young Maria hungered to receive the Eucharist frequently, and developed what she called a "vocation for the Eucharist."
Alongside this love for Christ in the Eucharist, she began to feel a deep desire for religious life, particularly after watching her cousin take religious vows. Maria's parents absolutely forbade her from following in her cousin's footsteps. Just one year before this, however, 1898, Thérèse of Lisieux's autobiography The Story of a Soul was published. Thérèse's writings became wildly popular throughout Europe and were soon translated into six different languages and disseminated throughout the continent. Maria read Thérèse's memoir and Thérèse's story inspired Maria to persist in her desire for Carmel, despite her parents' resistance.
Her father passed away in June 1904. Almost exactly ten years later, Maria's mother died. Maria mourned her parents, cared for her grieving family, and made plans to enter Carmel. She entered in September 1919, and took the name Maria Candida of the Eucharist when she received her habit in April 1920. None of her siblings attended the ceremony.
Maria Candida lived up to her new name and spent hours in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Maria prolonged her allotted time of adoration, especially every Thursday, when from eleven pm to midnight she would be before the tabernacle. Not only was she enthusiastic about Eucharistic devotion, but the Eucharist was the foundation both of her spiritual life and her theological understanding of the Catholic faith. Maria's entire spiritual understanding of the world was articulated in Eucharistic terms and viewed through a Eucharistic lens. Her descriptions of the three theological virtues, the evangelical counsels she vowed to as a religious, and the role of the Virgin Mary were all grounded in the Eucharist.
For example, Maria wrote: "When I receive Jesus in Communion, Mary is always present. I want to receive Jesus from her hands, she must make me one with Him. I cannot separate Mary from Jesus. Hail, O Body born of Mary. Hail Mary, dawn of the Eucharist!"
Sr. Ann Astell, of Notre Dame's theology department, writes in her book Eating Beauty that the Eucharist is one of the primary ways for Catholics to understand beauty: "Fittingly chosen by Christ as a sign of human art, the bread becomes through consecration the appearance of Beauty itself, the sacramental form of Christ, the Word through whom God the Father created all things" (13). For Maria Candida, the Eucharist truly was the "source and summit" of the Christian life. It was her way to understand beauty, truth, and love. On the feast of Corpus Christi, 1933, Maria began writing down her meditations on the Eucharist and her own spiritual experiences in prayer. This was published as Eucharist: True Jewel of Eucharistic Spirituality in 1936.
After spending her years in Carmel in writing and in prayer, Maria Candida passed away of cancer in June 1949. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004.
Blessed Maria Candida of the Eucharist, devoted disciple of Christ's Sacrament of Love—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist is in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Get Archive.