Luke 18:10-14
The Lord spoke this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Two people came to the temple to pray, two completely different people. One lived piously, and the other led the evil way of life. One was respected by all, and the other was despised by all, including the church people of that time!
And the first one leaves the temple condemned, and the second one — justified.
This Pharisee was indeed a very godly man. He carefully and happily observed all the prescribed fasts. He gave tithes to the temple on all his purchases. And finally, we must trust him that he was neither a robber, nor an offender, nor an adulterer. In a word, if all of us in our external deeds of piety were at least not lower than him, it would not be bad at all. One verse of what we have read yesterday at the evening service meant literally this, prompting us follow him in this respect.
As for the publican, you cannot say anything like that about him. His very occupation testifies to this: the tax collectors collected taxes in favor of the Roman emperor, and besides the fact that they helped the enemy, occupational government, they themselves profited from the enslavement and humiliation of their people.
Christ Himself constantly equates them either with sinners in general, or with adulterers and harlots. This occupation was one of the most despisable, and those who were prone to all kinds of dishonesty went into it.
And so, they are standing in the temple and praying.
One remembers his merits, the other, realizing who he is, not daring to look at the sky, hits his chest and says: God, be merciful to me, a sinner…
And the Lord accepts prayer regardless of our merits and sins, but not just any kind of prayer.
This tax collector, who understood who he was, was heard. And the other one was rejected, because he forgot about the most important thing. While listing his virtues, he forgot that we are all children of the fallen Adam, who himself fell away from God and in his falling away gave birth to us to be like himself.
That all of our righteousness, no matter how good it is by human standards, is only fragments of the image of God according to which man was created.
That besides that, there is still sinfulness, which separates us from God, and it has part in everything, in every aspect of our life.
He forgot that the ways and thoughts of God are as much higher than our own as heaven is higher than the earth, and in order to return to God, one must first understand where we are, how far we are from Him, what is the depth of the abyss… How ridiculous are the words of the Pharisee on this background about, that he fasts twice a week and gives tithes on everything he has!
What about the fact that Christ had to not only come into this world, but suffer the Cross and give His life? In order to save people.
But the self-satisfaction (self-esteem) of the Pharisee seemed to dominate in his spirit, so dominant it was that it completely obscured from him the true picture of what was happening in his soul, and or this world…, and also made him steal the judgement from God…, justifying himself, and looking down at his brother…
He looked in the false mirror, with not God as this mirror, but himself…
He placed himself where the Christ’s Sacrifice seems useless, or excessive.
So, he himself left the place where the prayer is heard by God.
Anyone who humbles himself will be exalted, but who exalts himself will be humiliated (Luke 18:14). And the other very important truth: “The healthy do not need the Physician…”
Every time before Great Lent, we hear this parable as a warning not to lose or spoil our Great Lent.
Fasting is a time of intense prayer, but not all of our prayers are pleasing to God.
And if we go to church, fast, read the Gospel every day, perform prayers in the morning and evening, and at the same time look down on others and say: “Thank you, Lord, that we are not like other people, offenders, adulterers, oppressors, but we fast twice a week, or even every day, and do other things and so on”, then it turns out that we are the disciples of the Pharisees, and not of Christ. And maybe we tried to do the commandments, but not quite painstaking, as the holy fathers say… and thus see only some superficial signs of the illness…
God, have mercy on me, a sinner! Let us try to practice and feel this prayer.
Amen.