“To See Myself in Truth Before God”

Reflection on Luke 18:9–14
(Inspired by Carmelite spirituality and the thought of Bl. Francisco Palau y Quer)

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector…
The tax collector stood at a distance and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’” — Luke 18:10,13

Entering the Temple of the Heart

The Gospel draws us into the temple — not merely a building, but the sacred inner space where each soul stands before the gaze of God.
In the Carmelite tradition, prayer is a journey inward, a descent into the heart where God dwells in hidden silence.

Bl. Francisco Palau taught that “to pray is to live in relationship — the soul before its Beloved.”
This relationship is not built on appearance or merit, but on truth.
The Pharisee stands before himself, absorbed by his own virtues.
The tax collector stands before God, aware of his poverty and longing for mercy.
Only one leaves the temple justified — the one who allowed God to be God.

The Mirror of Humility

Humility, in Carmelite language, is not humiliation but truth lived in love.
St. Teresa of Avila reminds us: “Humility is walking in truth.”
It is the awareness of who we are — fragile, beloved, and in need of grace.

“The soul that sees herself as she is, without disguise, feels her nothingness — and in this poverty she discovers the infinite wealth of her God.”

— Francisco Palau

To recognize one’s sin is not despair; it is to awaken to mercy.
It is to let God be the one who lifts, heals, and sanctifies.

Communion in the Mystery

Palau’s mystical insight saw the Church — the Bride of Christ — as both personal and communal.
Every soul, when purified of self, becomes a mirror of divine beauty and a member of a living communion.

When the proud heart closes itself in isolation, it breaks this communion.
But when the humble heart bows in truth, it opens the door of relationship — with God, with the Church, with humanity.
In humility we rediscover communion; in mercy, we rediscover mission.

A Carmelite Way of Prayer

Enter into silence.
Let the Pharisee’s voice fade.
Let the tax collector’s cry rise within you.
Whisper from your heart:

“Lord Jesus, have mercy on me.”

Remain there — in simplicity, in poverty, in love.
This is where God descends.
This is where justification happens — in the quiet meeting of mercy and truth.

For Contemplation

• Where do I stand when I pray — before God, or before my own image?
• What in me resists being seen in truth?
• How does humility open me to communion and mission?

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
teach my heart to pray in truth.
Strip away the pride that blinds me,
and clothe me with the humility of Your mercy.

Let me discover in my poverty
the richness of Your love,
and in the silence of my heart
the beauty of Your Church.

Amen.