The Pharisee in the gospel story thought that if he said his prayers, gave his regular donation, and followed the fasting laws, he would be right with God. Pray, pay, and obey, as some in the church once put it.

A Pharisee and a tax collector go into the Temple to pray—it sounds like the setup for a joke. The formula would be perfect if they’d both gone into a bar, but of course a Pharisee would never drink or dine in the same place as a tax collector. Just about the only place these two might meet is on the grounds of the Temple.

HE TOLD his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’

A customer unhappy with the service she received from an app-based delivery service, emailed customer support to complain. Her complaint made the rounds of the small start-up and eventually landed in the email box of the CEO, who first outlined for his employees how to resolve the customer’s problem, but then added, “Someone also please tell her to f--- off!”

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

The humble will be exalted—there seem, however, to be two kinds of humble going on in the readings this week. On the one hand we’re told that God hears the cry of the poor, those on the margins of society, who did not choose to be there. Yet we’re also called on to seek the place of the lowly, not only show mercy toward them.

When it comes to religion, righteousness presents both a goal and pitfall. Who is truly righteous? According to this week’s scripture, those who humble themselves, serve God, and keep the faith.

Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public. —Cornel West