Marianne & Margaret

'The Prayer of the Pharisee' and 'The Prayer of the Publican'

The Pharisee prays a prayer of thanksgiving by comparing himself to others.

He prays with gratitude that he is better, holier, and more outstanding than this person or that person.

He is even comparing his very prayer to those of others.

A missionary who has been living in Chile for over 20 years spoke of the changes he has observed in Chilean people as the country has experienced significant economic development within its capitalist (capitalismo) society — and he described these changes with what he called the "3 C's."

The first is comparing (comparar) oneself to others, the second is competing (competir) with one another, and the third is gossiping (comentar) about others.

He told us that these three things are the social ills of a capitalist society.

Once we begin comparing ourselves to others, we naturally fall into competition with them.

And as we compete, rather than respecting others, we tend to exploit their weaknesses to feed our own sense of superiority — or even fabricate faults that don't exist — making it easy to gossip and tear others down.

I had assumed that in the small village of Pocopoco, such things would not exist — but that was not the case.

Even in the poverty of Pocopoco, there are those who are better off.

Strangely enough, as I visited homes, I found that the more well-off people tended to complain more and harbor more jealousy and gossip toward others.

Yet from the mouths of those living in dire poverty, I rarely heard complaints or gossip about others.

It is said that the Pope once remarked that simply refraining from gossiping about others is enough to become a saint.

Looking at myself alone, I can feel just how difficult it is to live without speaking ill of others.

I began to wonder whether the root cause of gossip is a life lived in constant comparison with others.

Living in Bolivia, I find myself asking Jesus why poverty is a blessing.

Through today's Gospel, it seems as though Jesus is telling me: the worst form of pride is pride itself.

This March, I must make it a point to visit more families in difficult circumstances.

— From Father Joseph —