Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector stood at a
distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and
said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’”
As
many of you know, my mother was a Roman Catholic and when she was both young
and fit, she went to Sunday Mass. She grew up in the days when all Masses were
said in Latin, which she learned to recite at an early age. In later years, in
the midst of her tragic moments of insanity, she would sometimes wail and beat
her breast, saying, “Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.”
At
the time I had no idea what she was doing. It was only when I went to Divinity
School that I learned the meaning of the phrase. It was once used by Roman
Catholics at Latin Mass just before they took communion. It literally means,
“I’m to blame, I’m to blame, I’m totally to blame.” It comes from today’s
passage (Luke 18:9-14) when Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax
Collector.
The
tax collector recognizes his unworthiness before God and beats his breast. He
knows that he has done something wrong, so he feels that he cannot approach God
or even look up to Heaven. He also knows that his only hope is in receiving
God’s mercy: he cannot do anything to obtain this; he cannot justify his sinful
choices; he can only stand and wait for God’s forgiveness.
As
Jesus points out in the parable, the tax collector’s sincere, contrite, and
humble prayer is heard by God and answered compassionately. This is an example
of God’s grace through Christ, which we all need every day of our lives.
The
beautiful blessing of Christianity abides in this: when we make mistakes, they
are not irredeemable; and when we sincerely confess them to Jesus, He forgives
completely.
Questions for personal reflection
Do I still have
something in my life that remains un-confessed? Do I want to be forgiven?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us completely,
even those sins and mistakes that we are ashamed of or too proud to confess.
Help us to pray about them and encourage to humbly ask You for mercy. In Your
Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin
Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment
on today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest Fall drawings. It’s called “Autumn Magic” and
features the Glade Creek Grist Mill which is located just off the Blue Ridge
Parkway in Virginia. If you would like to view a larger version, please click
on the following link:
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