Luke 18:9-14
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
There were some people who think about themselves and do not look to others in a good light...Jesus tells the story to teach us about how we think about ourselves and others and about our Father...When a Pharisee and a tax collector went to God's Temple to pray...The Pharisee stood alone, and away from the tax collector...When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people...I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery...I thank you that I am better than this tax collector...I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’...“The tax collector stood alone too...But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven...He felt very humble before God...He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me...I am a sinner!’...The Pharisee spoke of himself and compared himself with the tax collector...Jesus said, "I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God."...But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God...People who make themselves important will be made humble...But those who make themselves humble will be made important.”...
Mother Teresa said this about being humble and gives us advice on humility...Mother Teresa said, “These are the few ways we can practice humility: To speak as little as possible of one's self...To mind one's own business...Not to want to manage other people's affairs...To avoid curiosity...To accept contradictions and correction cheerfully...To pass over the mistakes of others...To accept insults and injuries...To accept being slighted, forgotten and disliked...To be kind and gentle even under provocation...Never to stand on one's dignity...To choose always the hardest.”...