The Pharisee and the publican e
9 He spoke this parable to some who were convinced of the righteous and despised others: 10 Two men went to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: O God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, who are hoarders, unfair , adulterers, or even as this publican: 12 I fast twice a week I give tithes of all my income. 13 The publican stood afar off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and said: O God, be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this one went home justified rather than the other. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
When we are dealing with someone who prays at the same time we are brought into one to whom prayer is addressed to God! By his prayer, he who makes God present and pray it does not leave us indifferent. We react in by silence we bow our voices out of respect for those who pray, but also by reverence God, then we fall back on ourselves and we wonder, "and I do pray? And when I ask what's going on? "
In the parable today, Jesus brings us into the intimacy of two men facing God. Although we intend to criticize the way they pray, their attitude first call respect. Jesus makes us witnesses of their thoughts, which are addressed God. They reveal the intimacy of these two men before their Lord.
Soon, however, we stand in relation to them:
- "no I'm not like this pretentious conceited who feels the need to promote themselves before God. "
- " No I'm not like that man prostrate who dares not look up at the sky, overwhelmed by his sin
We then feel belong a third type of prior, who makes his prayer differently: one who intercedes, the renter or the one who meditates. We therefore believe that this type of prayer is more elaborate than those described here. Our prayer is at a different level. She speaks to God with words, it makes thoughts. In making the assessment of how we pray, we slip unconsciously into a form of complacency that we apparently the first character of the dish. Like many people who are familiar prayer, we may think different from others, or even higher, and that's the danger we face. Yet we shall see later that God invites us to invest in this kind of prayer made of spoken words and sentences reflected. It is a difficult undertaking called the battle of prayer, but it is through that we grow in faith. 
We'll venturing cautiously on the path of prayer, and while speaking of the prayers of two men, we know that we will talk about our personal relationship with God.
The first observation that we will be asked to do is that which we discover that the prayer of these two men is incredibly modern . This double way of praying reveals the ambivalence of the character of modern Western man. This will recognize in the first two characters before taking refuge in the second.
First, it welcomes live in a country promoted, even if he has modest incomes, they are sufficient, thank God. Its standard of living, level of education, training he feels are as a man superior to the other men on the planet. He shares the ambition of all Westerners who like to believe that human ingenuity will triumph of all evil on earth. If he happens to refer to God is to thank the having been born in this haven of prosperity. In fact, it does not even pray to God because he has not need him to feel good. It is like the Pharisee, he contemplates his own prayer which rises up not even God.
But the conceited man who sleeps in the very depths of the unconscious many of our fellow citizens are often caught by his failures. An unforeseen accident, the finding of the impotence of science or medicine to overcome a problem, calling into question our mode of operation by a terrorist, that our fellow citizen turns in one fell swoop. There he is overwhelmed, beseeching the Almighty to get him out. He feels lost when he is not personally threatened . He turned to God because he feels a need for protection and affection, he needs to be mothered, and the child who hides in her and never managed to grow wakes up and seeking protection.
Modern man changes behavior in relation to God without realizing it. when he feels himself master of the universe as it has not need God and it going well. It is forged even a God in His own image, which does not serve anything if not to bolster its claims. And then, without warning, he is capable of falling into the opposite extreme, to return to the most primitive state of religious consciousness. He even dares to look to God as his soul is overwhelmed by fear. So when men they become adults? When will they learn that prayer is the best way that God has given them to build their personality and become responsible individuals and reasonable ? 
It seems that the reform is yet to be rebuilt. The publican of our history like Luther. Luther was terrified by God, he was bursting with anguish in the depths of his monk's cell. One day he discovers that it is useless to languish. He discovers that no man can escape from sin, but all are intended to be saved. Luther then understand what Paul says in Romans "the just shall live by faith." So here he is justified since believes. Here he is available for this God who accepts it as it is. Forgiveness free God stands up and allows him to move forward. This discovery was one of the initiating events of the Reformation and I sometimes feel that modern man has never really taken this discovery because it stops on this achievement without understanding that he must now build man again.
It is through prayer that it be built. It must now behave as a responsible because that is what God intended. One who has understood the plan God has for him formula to endorse the word of God that is: "put yourself standing thy faith hath made thee whole. It was at this point that true prayer begins. Until then, he pushed a sigh, he stammered, he beheld himself is rewarding but it has not really talked. Now God invites now to talk with him. God suggested to him about his plans, and that's it that is prayer, it serves to involve God in the course of its existence.
In formulating our questions with words and phrases that our thought takes consistency. Forcing himself to utter the words before God in the intimacy of prayer, we give form to our desire. Then we express thoughts we make so they are admissible by God. Thus we come to express things the way God would. 
Secretly God helped us to make things so our thought then expressed by our word and our word supported by God becomes creative. Indeed, God creates things by his word we discover that our own words uttered before God and inspired by this creative function takes him to his account and in helping to build us a new man who built and beautified to As he prays.
Prayer and practiced faithfully will make each individual a being that grows and grows. He no longer suffers the adverse events, failures do not destroy more make modest success and it does not deify himself more. He saw the events of each day with passion, knowing that each day that passes brings the Kingdom where God is waiting to share eternity with him.
The greatest service we can render to humanity today is that it re-learn the way of prayer. It's not constantly repeat the same vain repetitions or repeat the prayers made by others, must help our fellow to enter the battle of prayer which compels each to make his desires before God for it to be in line with the ideas God inspires him. Admittedly, this is not easy, it's even tiring. This requires a portion of our energy, but is this not what God asks of us? 
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