March 14, 2026
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
Imitate the Tax Collector, Humbly Recognizing Our Unworthiness

Today is the Saturday of the Third Week of Lent. The Gospel passage taken from Saint Luke recounts the scene of a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the Temple.
We know the Temple was a place of worship and adoration of God. So too is our present-day church: within its walls, hidden in the tabernacle, is the Word of God made flesh; there is the altar, the lectern, and the choir, which sings hymns praising God; there are lectors who proclaim God’s Word in language we can understand; there is our beloved priest, who preaches from the Ambo; and there are the people of God, who approach the altar to pay homage to God according to their custom and in obedience to the Church’s teachings.
The Pharisee Jesus speaks of refers to those Jews who strictly observed the laws of God but emphasized external rituals, sought the praise of others, and often clashed with Him. Some biblical scholars note that tax collectors abandoned their faith, betrayed their own people for money, and became exploiters even of the poor. Thus, in our eyes, neither of these two men was righteous—both were sinners.
From the Pharisee’s prayer (cf. Luke 18:11-12), we see his heart: he desired recognition from God, considering himself righteous and condemning those he deemed unworthy to pray to God. He hoped God would publicly condemn the tax collector, just as he did. To him, the God who heard his prayers was one who rewards the good and punishes the wicked—and by “good,” he meant those who obeyed the laws he had added to God’s commandments. The tax collector was different: unlike the Pharisee (cf. Luke 18:13), he did not boast of his own deeds. He dared not even lift his eyes to God, setting an example for us.

As we come to church today, let us imitate this tax collector: sit quietly before the altar, not boasting as the Pharisee did, but offering a prayer to God in the simplest words. This simple prayer is: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner, that I may fix my gaze on Your mysteries.”May He grant us various graces according to His holy will.

Rejoicing in this annual celebration of our Lenten observance, we pray, O Lord, that, with our hearts set on the paschal mysteries, we may be gladdened by their full effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever. Amen.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica