Today is the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, which comes from the Gospel reading in Luke 18. In the passage, Jesus gives a parable about a tax collector and a Pharisee who offered prayers to God. The Pharisee’s prayer lacked humility, whereas the tax collector's was full of humility. Jesus tells us that the tax collector was the one who went back to his house justified, rather than the other.
In this week’s sermon, Fr. Paul emphasizes the tax collector's humility and urges us to likewise be humble through three actions. First is contemplation of Christ—going to church, praying, and reading the scriptures. Second is imitation of Christ. As he was meek and lowly of heart, we too must be meek. Third is adopting a proper attitude, thinking of oneself as less than others.
Through these three actions, we can actualize humility as the tax collector did.