“The Leisure Corner” through our social media continues throughout Lent as we take a closer look at different icons with David Clayton from Pontifex University.
Below are the 7 weeks of reflections and meditations inspired by David Clayton’s knowledge of iconography. If you missed our interview with David, watch it here.
If you would like to share the fruit of your prayer with us, please message us! We love hearing from you.
The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (or the Pharisee and the Tax Collector) is a parable of Jesus that appears in the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 18:9-14,a self-righteous Pharisee, obsessed by his own virtue, is contrasted with a tax collector who humbly asks God for mercy.
This parable primarily shows Jesus teaching that justification can be given by the mercy of God irrespective of the receiver’s prior life and that conversely, self-righteousness can prohibit being justified. Further coming as it does in a section of teaching on prayer it demonstrates the need to pray humbly.
This painting, which is unattributed, is painted in the Baroque style of the 17th century. This is a style that accentuates the fact that there is evil, sin and suffering in the world, symbolized by the dark shadows, but contrasts this with the hope that transcends it, the Light of the World, Christ.
It is traditional to reflect on this parable at the beginning of Lent so that we can appreciate the mercy of God as we see our sins, but also so that we can guard against pride in our approach to the Lenten observances of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.