Saturday of the Third Week in Lent
Gospel of Luke
Two people went up to the temple area to
pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up
his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I
am not like the rest of humanity —
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
Wow, what a hectic week. It feels great to be
back on the blog! My job has been unbelievably busy...so busy, in fact, that I've had very little time to do anything else but work. We are approaching a deadline for a project completion. Every obstacle is being thrown in our path causing quite a bit of frustration. (I've let out quite a bit of curse words this week. I need to wash out my mouth with Jesus soap!) I'm confident things will turn out okay in the end if I can just get through the month of March.
I've always noticed a "feast or famine effect" when it comes to work load. I'm either twiddling my thumbs throughout the day or I'm pulling my hair out with stress. There appears very little moderation. Even more trying than work itself is dealing with personalities. When the going gets really tough, managers begin making ridiculous demands; suppliers clam up refusing to accept responsibility; and the truly ignorant employees suddenly go into their secret hideaways unwilling to lift up one finger in help or support.
We all need to work together, folks! Get off the stick and do the job. This is a business and we need answers. We need documentation. We need a resolution. It's either ship or sink!
The clash of coworkers in the workplace reminds me of the contrast of characters in today's gospel reading. We have the arrogant Pharisee and the merciful tax collector both praying in the temple. The Pharisee prays the God self-righteously, glorifying himself because he fasts and pays his tithes. He thinks of himself as "the best" and "the holiest" of worshipers. He toots his own horn while judging others as less worthy. Contrast this with the poor tax collector who thinks of himself as a miserable wretch, beating at the breast. He begs for God's mercy and forgiveness. God looks more kindly on the tax collector who humbles himself versus the Pharisee who only talks about himself in an arrogant way.
We are now half-way through Lent. Do you see any positive progress in your spiritual journey? Has your heart soften like the tax collector or remained hardened like the Pharisee? Let go of the arrogance and replace it with a humble and contrite heart. Seek out God's mercy!
-J.
I've always noticed a "feast or famine effect" when it comes to work load. I'm either twiddling my thumbs throughout the day or I'm pulling my hair out with stress. There appears very little moderation. Even more trying than work itself is dealing with personalities. When the going gets really tough, managers begin making ridiculous demands; suppliers clam up refusing to accept responsibility; and the truly ignorant employees suddenly go into their secret hideaways unwilling to lift up one finger in help or support.
We all need to work together, folks! Get off the stick and do the job. This is a business and we need answers. We need documentation. We need a resolution. It's either ship or sink!
The clash of coworkers in the workplace reminds me of the contrast of characters in today's gospel reading. We have the arrogant Pharisee and the merciful tax collector both praying in the temple. The Pharisee prays the God self-righteously, glorifying himself because he fasts and pays his tithes. He thinks of himself as "the best" and "the holiest" of worshipers. He toots his own horn while judging others as less worthy. Contrast this with the poor tax collector who thinks of himself as a miserable wretch, beating at the breast. He begs for God's mercy and forgiveness. God looks more kindly on the tax collector who humbles himself versus the Pharisee who only talks about himself in an arrogant way.
We are now half-way through Lent. Do you see any positive progress in your spiritual journey? Has your heart soften like the tax collector or remained hardened like the Pharisee? Let go of the arrogance and replace it with a humble and contrite heart. Seek out God's mercy!
-J.
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