In his Angelus message on Oct. 26, Pope Leo XIV reflected on humility and authentic repentance.
He encouraged people to be open and honest about the wrongs they have done; they should emulate the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who prayed in the Temple in one of Jesus’ parables (Luke 18:9-14).
As the Pontiff reminded listeners, the Pharisee names his good works and judges others with contempt.
“His attitude is clearly presumptuous, denoting a strict observance of the law, but one that is poor in love, made up of ‘giving’ and ‘taking,’ of debts and credits, devoid of mercy,” Pope Leo remarked.
The tax collector, on the other hand, recognizes his need for forgiveness – and he receives it because he was willing to come before God.
“He did not close himself off in his own world or resign himself to the evil he has done. He left the places where he was feared, safe and protected by the power he wielded over others,” the Pontiff explained. “He went to the Temple alone, without an escort, even at the cost of facing harsh glances and sharp judgments, and he stood before the Lord, at the back, with his head bowed, uttering a few words: ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner’ (v. 13).”
The Pontiff recalled that Saint Augustine, in Sermo 351,1, compared the Pharisee to a sick man who hides his wounds from the doctor because he is ashamed and prideful, while the tax collector shows the doctor his wounds and asks for help.
“Jesus gives us a powerful message: it is not by flaunting our merits that we are saved, nor by hiding our mistakes, but by presenting ourselves honestly, just as we are, before God, ourselves and others, asking for forgiveness and entrusting ourselves to the Lord’s grace,” the Pontiff remarked.
The Pope said the faithful should take responsibility for their mistakes and trust in God’s mercy.
“That way, his Kingdom — which belongs not to the proud but to the humble and is built through prayer and action, by practicing honesty, forgiveness and gratitude — can grow in us and around us,” he said. “Let us ask Mary, the model of holiness, to help us grow in these virtues.”
After the Angelus, the Pontiff prayed for people affected by the floods in eastern Mexico. Vatican News reported that heavy rainfall from Oct. 6 to 11 led to floods that killed at least 76 people.
He also encouraged people to persevere in praying for peace.
“Our prayer for peace continues unceasingly, particularly through the communal recitation of the Holy Rosary,” he remarked. “As we contemplate the mysteries of Christ together with the Virgin Mary, we make our own the suffering and the hope of the children, the mothers, the fathers, and the elderly who are victims of war.”
He noted that with those prayers, “arise many gestures of evangelical charity, concrete closeness, and solidarity.”
“To all who, each day, carry forward this commitment with trusting perseverance,” he remarked, “I say once again: “Blessed are the peacemakers!””
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