Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
February 8, 2025
As we prepare to meet the Risen Christ, let us ask ourselves, “How often do I come to church? Is the church really the place I want to come to, to unite with the whole community with one mind and one mouth in prayer to God? Or do I want to come to church to receive from God the graces necessary for my life through the Holy Sacraments?”
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Beloved, today is already the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, which indicates that our journey to the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ begins again. We are used to Lent lasting 40 days, but the Church prepares us in advance because the encounter with Christ is constant, and we must be ready for it.
Every Sunday, we celebrate the Resurrection, but we celebrate Easter in a special way once a year, so we prepare ourselves for it. Therefore, before Lent, we have several Sundays on which the Church holds up certain people as examples for us to understand how we can best come to meet the Risen Christ. Today, we have the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, when the Church sets before us two figures—a Publican and a Pharisee.
Most importantly, Christ begins the parable by saying that two men entered the temple to pray. How important is it for us to come to the temple to pray? In the temple, we are united in our prayer to God.
In the church, we have the opportunity to approach the Holy Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, as well as to receive other Holy Sacraments—Baptism and Confirmation, which begin our Christian life; the Anointing of the Sick, when we are ill; the Sacrament of Marriage, when we rejoice in the union of two people; and the Sacrament of Holy Orders, if someone has this special vocation. Thus, in the church, we are together in a special way and receive something from God in a special way.
Therefore, as we prepare to meet the Risen Christ, let us ask ourselves, “How often do I come to church? Is the church really the place I want to come to, to unite with the whole community with one mind and one mouth in prayer to God? Or do I want to come to the temple to receive from God the graces necessary for my life through the Holy Sacraments?”
The two men entered the temple to pray. But at the end of the story, Christ says that one was left humiliated and the other exalted. Why did this happen? Probably because God does not look at our faces. He doesn’t look at what we are wearing or at our social position or power. God looks at who we are on the inside.
These two men—one a Publican, the other a Pharisee—had their lives filled with different situations, different choices, and different outcomes. But one of them, while praying, exalts himself, saying how good he is. And he is telling the truth because he does good things: he fasts, prays, and tithes. Do any of us do these things? But when he speaks of himself, he compares himself to others.
Instead, the Publican, who stood at the end of the temple, beating his chest, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” looked only at his own life and admitted his mistakes. He had done something wrong that prevented him from getting closer to Christ, from being at the front of the temple. But he left exalted.
God sees us as we are, so let’s not be afraid to stand before Him with our weaknesses and shortcomings—not to show that we are bad. No! God loves us, and He wants us to become better. But most importantly, He wants us to be holy.
The road to holiness begins when we do not deceive ourselves, when we are able to look into our hearts and see what is wrong there. There may be chaos, or emptiness, or maybe something else. And then, having seen your heart, come to the temple, stand before God, and say, “God, here I am, as I am. I am a sinner, with my shortcomings, but I want to be holy. So help me in this.” And God will never refuse.
So, as we begin this preparation for Lent, which leads us to meet the Risen Christ, let us look into our hearts. Let’s see what we need to do to make this journey. And let it bring us not only to the goal of this year but also to the ultimate goal of our life—to live with God and in God.
Let us take the example of the Pharisee—a good example of prayer, tithing, and fasting. And above all, let us take the example of the Publican—let us not be afraid to admit our mistakes, say, “I’m sorry” to God, receive His forgiveness, know His love, and walk through this life.
