Immaculée Ilibagiza spoke at JSerra Catholic High School’s third annual Adelante Fest about the 1994 massacre of ethnic Tutsis in Rwanda.
CATHEDRAL MUSIC MINISTRY ANNOUNCES CONCERT SEASON
The upcoming season features performances showcasing the Hazel Wright Organ.
NEW PAX CHRISTI VIRTUE CURRICULUM
The program incorporates virtue in every aspect of education at the five Pax Christi schools.
NEVER BELIEVE YOUR OWN PRESS
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector reveals our words and don't always match our hearts.
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT
The Orange County Catholic Newspaper seeks to illuminate and animate the journey of faith for Catholics within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange – building solidarity among the faithful and inviting a deeper understanding and involvement in the mission of Christ – through the timely sharing of news, commentary and feature content in an engaging, accessible and compelling format.
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC
The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840
Publisher: The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange
Director of Custom Content: Caroline Wong, cawong@scng.com
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Managing Editor: Caitlin Adams Art Director: Ryann Beveridge
Delivered weekly to parishes and homes throughout Orange County, Calif., Orange County Catholic is published by SCNG Custom Content, a division of Southern California News Group that offers content development and design expertise to businesses and nonprofit institutions. The Orange County Catholic editorial staff and editorial council are responsible for the content contained herein. Events and products advertised in Orange County Catholic do not carry the implicit endorsement of the Diocese of Orange or SCNG Custom Content.
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ROSARY BEADS
READER CALL-OUT
I have two favorite Rosaries. The rose-scented wooden bead Rosary came from St. Augustine, Florida. My aunts bought it for me over 20 years ago at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine where I was baptized. I keep this Rosary in my car and touched it to the Holy Face relic. I got the pearl Rosary while on a spiritual pilgrimage to Fatima and had it blessed by Fr. Angelos. I keep this one in my desk for group Rosaries with my family.
—Diana Sullivan, St. Bonaventure Parish in Huntington Beach.
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“ Whoever serves God becomes free from wealth…”
— Pope Leo XIV
SAINT PROFILE
SAINTS SIMON & JUDE
FIRST CENTURY
SAINTS SIMON THE ZEALOT and Jude Thaddeus were two of Jesus' twelve apostles who, after Jesus' ascension, became missionary companions and traveled together to preach the Gospel. Although relatively little is known about their individual lives from the Gospels, tradition holds that they evangelized in Mesopotamia and Persia. To distinguish Jude from the betrayer Judas Iscariot, he is also referred to as Thaddeus and is traditionally believed to be the author of the biblical Epistle of Jude. Simon was given the title "the Zealot," possibly indicating a fervent passion for his faith or an association with a political group. According to Western tradition, the two apostles were martyred together in Persia. Their relics are now located together in a crypt under the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.C
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
ROMANS 8:12-17; PSALM 68:2 AND 4, 6-7AB, 20-21; LUKE 13:10-17
TUESDAY
EPHESIANS 2:1922; PSALM 19:2-3, 4-5; LUKE 6:12-16
WEDNESDAY
ROMANS 8:26-30; PSALM 13:4-5, 6; LUKE 13:22-30
THURSDAY
ROMANS 8:31B-39; PSALM 109:21-22, 2627, 30-31; LUKE 13:31-35
FRIDAY
ROMANS 9:1-5; PSALM 147:1213, 14-15, 19-20; LUKE 14:1-6
PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK
SATURDAY
REVELATION 7:24, 9-14; PSALM 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6; 1 JOHN 3:1-3; MATTHEW 5:1-12A
SUNDAY WISDOM 3:1-9; PSALM 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6; ROMANS 5:5-11 OR ROMANS 6:3-9; JOHN 6:37-40
PHOTO COURTESY OF DIANA SULLIVAN
EXPERIENCING FAITH IN IRELAND
OC PARISHIONERS
PILGRIMAGE TO EMERALD ISLE
BY GREG MELLEN
ATRIP TO THE AULD SOD of Ireland can be many things depending on one's inclinations and interests. It can be traditional tours, to such places as the Blarney Castle, the Cliffs of Moher or around the Ring of Kerry. Maybe it's Waterford for crystal, distillery tours or “pubbing” through the countryside.
However, there is another side to Ireland: the side of Ireland rooted in the intersection of paganism and Catholic faith. Places where St. Patrick’s Day is, first and foremost, a day of holy obligation.
With its unique mix of monastic sites such Clonmacnoise, Glendalough, the Rock of Cashel and the magnificent St. Patrick Cathedral and Christ Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland's soil is rich in Catholic traditions.
Central to many Irish devotions are Marian sites. Although European shrines such as Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Fatima in Portugal and Pillar in Spain top many lists of Marian shrines, lesser known but on equal footing is Our Lady of Knock.
Recently a group of parishioners from the Diocese of Orange had a profound chance to experience Knock during a pilgrimage to Ireland. While there they had a chance to participate in celebration of the National Novena, an annual pilgrimage in mid-August at the shrine at the Knock Basilica.
The nine-day event celebrates the 1879 apparition of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Apostle, a lamb and the cross, which was witnessed by 15 men, women and children in the small
THE BASILICA OF KNOCK, SITE OF AN 1879 MARIAN APPARITION, WAS AMONG THE HOLY SITE VISITED BY PARISHIONERS FROM THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE AT A RECENT PILGRIMAGE TO IRELAND. THE LOCAL GROUP HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN AN EVENING PROCESSION AT KNOCK; PART OF THE NATIONAL NOVENA HELD IN AUGUST. PHOTO COURTESY OF LYNN
appearance and the crowds it still draws, a larger church was built in 1976 that accommodates 10,000. In 1979, that church was decreed by Papal bull as a basilica by Pope John Paul II.
“It was definitely one of the most peaceful places I can recall,” Fr. Fitzpatrick said of Knock. “You can really feel God.”
Fr. Fitzpatrick wasn’t the only member of the Diocese to feel a special connection at Knock.
Clara and Frank Alonzo, who were among about 20 parishioners from St. Martin de Porres in Yorba Linda, also took part in a larger, full celebration in the basilica later in the day.
“Once it ended everyone was invited to a procession throughout the entire campus of Knock,” said Clara, which included passing the original chapel, stations of the cross, the campus museum, the 18 fonts that make up the Holy Waters of Knock and concluding with prayers in multiple languages blessing the religious artifacts at the church.
“It was not for the faint of heart,” Clara Alonzo said of the procession, which she said was attended by many disabled and handicapped parishioners.
“To see so many people of different capabilities out there was just phenomenal,” she said.
Lynn Campbell, another parishioner at St. Martin’s, likewise felt the connection.
“I had a really great experience,” she said. “I had a confession with a priest that was really powerful.”
In addition to Knock, the pilgrims, who booked the trip through a tour company that specializes in Catholic Pilgrimages, toured sites from Galway to Dublin.
chapel of St. John the Baptist in the village in County Mayo.
“Knock was probably a highlight," said Fr. Michael Fitzpatrick, parochial vicar of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Irvine, who served as spiritual
leader of the Diocese of Orange group.
“Going there and being able to celebrate a morning Mass with the Orange County group in the original chapel there, was unbelievable,” he said. Due in part to the popularity of the
Fr. Fitzpatrick said he had led a tour in Poland last year and was looking for a locale for this year.
Born in Korea, Fr. Fitzpatrick was adopted as an infant with his sister, Christine, by Mike and Cathy Fitzpatrick, an Irish American couple who joined their
CAMPBELL
(LEFT TO RIGHT) FRANK ALONZO, CLARA ALONZO AND LYNN CAMPBELL OF ST. MARTIN DE PORRES PARISH IN YORBA LINDA WERE PART OF A PILGRIMAGE FROM THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE TO SITES IN IRELAND, INCLUDING THE BASILICA OF KNOCK, SITE OF A MARIAN APPARITION IN 1879. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLARA ALONZO
FEATURE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
son on the trip. The pilgrimage gave Fr. Fitzpatrick and his family a chance to experience their roots and faith in a special way. C
THE BASILICA OF OUR LADY, QUEEN OF IRELAND FEATURES A MOSAIC DEPICTING THE KNOCK APPARITION SCENE OF 1879. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LYNN CAMPBELL
KILMALKEDAR CHURCH IN COUNTY KERRY, IRELAND.
CLIFFS OF MOHER, COUNTY CLARE. PHOTO COURTESY OF LYNN CAMPBELL
for JSerra Catholic High School’s third annual Adelante Fest, Immaculée
Ilibagiza delivered a message that was profound, timely and deeply rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The Rwandan American shared her experience as a survivor of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, when she was among eight women who hid for three months in 3-by-4-foot bathroom.
Ilibagiza’s mother, father and two brothers were among 800,000 people, mostly those in the Tutsi ethnic group, who were slaughtered by Hutu extremists in only 100 days.
Relying on prayer, meditation and reflection, Ilibagiza, 53, was able to come to a state of forgiveness for the extremists who committed the atrocities.
Inspired by the mission of high school’s patron saint, Junípero Serra, the aim of the Adelante Fest is to build faith, education and community, said Pat Reidy, vice president of mission and faith.
“We're trying to make sure that the speakers really talk to the heart of what we're doing as a Church at large and what we’re trying to accomplish here as a school,” Reidy said. “In my opinion, Immaculée’s story is one of the most important that we've had in our modern Catholic life, and particularly so for our culture at this moment.”
The assassination of Rwanda’s president in April 1994 triggered months of massacres of Tutsi ethnic group members, including Ilibagiza’s family.
As she clutched Rosary beads in her left hand, Ilibagiza looked out at the audience in the multipurpose room and recounted her 91 days of hiding.
With her eyes welling up at times throughout her 45-minute talk, Ilibagiza spoke of hearing two voices in her head, one telling her to go outside to be killed and “end the torture.”
“However, there was another voice in me,” Ilibagiza said. “Do not open the door. Ask God to help you. Remember who God is. God is
almighty. Do you know what almighty means? It means even if they shoot you, the bullet might not go through you. And I turned to God with every cell of my body like I never prayed before.”
She recalled praying the Rosary 27 times a day and reflecting on Bible verses where Jesus spoke about loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you.
“So anytime I would reach the part that said, ‘forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,’ I couldn't say those words,” Ilibagiza said. “And now I'm lying to God. But I don't want to lie because I need him. If we lie to our friends, what happens? Especially when they know we're lying to them. You risk losing that friend. And the same thing with God. I don't want to lie to my God.”
Ilibagiza was finally able to attain a state of forgiveness and the freedom that comes with it –freedom to live without being attached to those who persecute her, and freedom to think about her future, she said.
“Freedom to think of people who are good to me,” Ilibagiza said. “And freedom to let them go. And I felt so good. I remember I wished to be able to have a moment like this.”
Ilibagiza closed her testimony by encouraging the audience to trust God and live in the moment.
“I have really learned to trust that voice inside,” she said.
Ilibagiza has authored multiple books.
Her first book, “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” was a New York Times best seller and has garnered multiple awards, including the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace.
This year’s Adelante Fest took place in a more intimate setting, in the school’s quad, instead of on the large athletic field, where it was held for the first two years.
A Mass was celebrated prior to Ilibagiza’s testimony, with games and food trucks in the quad following the talk.
“Our theme has always been the same in the sense that we're trying to share our gifts with broader communities,” Reidy said. C
IMMACULÉE ILIBAGIZA WAS THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL’S THIRD ANNUAL ADELANTE FEST HELD ON OCT. 11. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
THE GOAL OF JSERRA’S ADELANTE FEST IS TO BUILD FAITH, EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY.
CHRIST CATHEDRAL MUSIC MINISTRY ANNOUNCES UPCOMING CONCERT SEASON
BY BRADLEY ZINT
THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
and Christ Cathedral music ministry are pleased to announce their 2025-2026 concert season, which includes a fundraiser for historic pipe organs of Assisi, the annual Christmas concert and a varied performer lineup showcasing the Hazel Wright Organ.
The season begins on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. with “Celebrating Cathedrals from California to Assisi.” This will feature the 17,000-pipe Hazel Wright Organ and various performers as a fundraiser for the refurbishment of the historic pipe organs in Cattedrale di San Rufino, the cathedral in Assisi, Italy. The instruments there require cleaning in order to function and to allow the Schola Cantorum of the cathedral, as well as students of Perugia Music Conservatory, to perform.
Next comes music as part of the annual Noche Guadalupana celebration on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. Visitors are invited to attend the Mass in Spanish celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe with congregational Spanish Marian hymns and movements from the famed “Mass of the Americas” by California composer Frank La Rocca.
The annual “Christmas at the Cathedral: Lessons and Carols by Candlelight” returns on Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. It will feature Scripture readings, audience singing and choral works by living composers, such as Whitacre’s “Lux Aurumque,” Wayne Oquin’s “O Magnum Mysterium” and Rutter’s “Candlelight Carol.” The Hazel Wright Organ and Cathedral Brass will lead the congregation in song and accompany the Diocesan Choir of Orange, the Cathedral Choirs and the Diocesan Children’s Choir.
In the spring, on April 21 at 7:30 p.m. the season continues with Benjamin Sheen, director of music at the Jesus Col-
lege, University of Cambridge. Sheen is the 2013 winner of the Pierre S. du Pont first prize in the inaugural Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition and received the Jon Laukvik prize at the St. Albans International Organ Competition 2013. He is also the former organist at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York and holds degrees from the University of Oxford and the Juilliard School. Sheen’s concert also marks the conclusion of a residency where he and world-renowned soprano soloist Molly Quinn will spend a week coaching the Organ and Choral Scholars on careers and skills in church music, including choral accompaniment and proper vocal production for
both solo and choral singing.
The annual Christ Cathedral Organ and Choral Scholars concert will take center stage at 7:30 p.m. on May 20, 2026, in a showcase of young musical talents. Current scholars and alumni will perform, thanks to generous donations that help young musicians consider careers in sacred music. Scholars have gone on to study at the Juilliard School, McGill University in Montreal, Rice University in Houston and Yale.
The season ends at 7:30 p.m. on June 29, 2026, with David Enlow in concert on the Hazel Wright Organ — an evening presented in part thanks to a generous donation from Lucy Dunn in honor of
Dr. Robert Cummings, who served more than 60 years as a composer, organist and teacher in the Diocese of Orange. Enlow is music director of Park Avenue Synagogue, organist and choir master of the Church of the Resurrection, and assistant conductor, organist and répétiteur to the Clarion Music Society. Enlow’s program will feature an improvisation in honor of Dr. Cummings.
During his residency period, Enlow will also spend a week coaching the Organ Scholars on the art of improvisation. All concerts take place in Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove and are free. For more information, visit www.christcathedralmusic.org or call (714) 620-7912. C
CHRIST CATHEDRAL MUSIC MINISTRY’S 2024 CHRISTMAS CONCERT. PHOTO BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
NEW VIRTUE CURRICULUM FOR PAX CHRISTI STUDENTS
BY MEG WATERS
If academic excellence was the only metric of success in school, traditional Catholic education would appear to be no different from secular. However, Catholic education emphasizes the development of strong moral character alongside academics. Theologian and doctor of the Church St. Thomas Aquinas noted that obedience driven by fear does not cultivate the virtues and values children need to make sound moral decisions throughout their life. Instead, Aquinas believed that virtue is cultivated through love, reason and practice.
Pax Christi Academies is committed to teaching children how to live a virtu-
ous life and has turned to the experts: Sr. John Dominic Rasmussen, OP, co-foundress of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Recently 60 Pax Christi teachers gathered at St. Anne Parish School in Santa Ana to learn how to model the core Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love, as well as the Cardinal Virtues of Justice, Temperance, Fortitude and Prudence.
The teachers adopted a new curriculum to incorporate virtue in every aspect of education at the five Pax Christi schools in Orange County to help students build a virtuous life.
The program is called "Disciple of Christ Education in Virtue," and it teaches the language of virtue, which Sister calls a habit that enables us to know what is true and love what is good. The program encompasses 28 virtues, including both theological and cardinal virtues, and emphasizes practical application through “virtue spotting” and meaningful feedback. For the past 10 years the program has been implemented in more than 13 dioceses across the country, beginning in Sacramento.
SR. JOHN DOMINIC TALKS ABOUT THE NEW VIRTUE CURRICULUM FOR PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
SR. MARY PERPETUA, LEFT, AND SR. JOHN DOMINIC JOIN DR. CHRISTINA ARELLANO, PRESIDENT OF PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES, FOR A PHOTO AT ST. ANNE PARISH SCHOOL IN SANTA ANA.
The program aims to enhance school culture and address social-emotional learning needs.
“We need to teach and support the teachers to live virtuous lives, so they can model it for the children,” said Sr. John Dominic.
The program started when she was a principal of a school and had asked the teachers to teach virtue, but they didn’t know how to do it.
“So, fair enough, I challenged them to develop a curriculum with me. Parents also wanted me to bring a secular anti-bullying program, so we combined it with another program Catholic Social-Emotional learning which is based on the virtues,” Sr. John Dominic said.
She and her team have developed resources for the teachers to use, and her team then visits schools to explain and share ideas from teachers across the country. Every principal and teacher knows their students, so the program serves as a framework that educators can craft to be most effective.
“It’s about learning the language of virtue — I felt the vocabulary of virtue just fell away,” Sr. John Dominic said, “and I’m passionate about bringing it back.”
The program is outlined on the website OpenlightMedia.com . In it there are online courses for students, teachers and adults. A free “VirtueQuest Strength Survey is available to take to find a person’s Virtue strengths. C
SR. JOHN DOMINIC EXPLAINS THE EDUCATION IN VIRTUE CURRICULUM THAT SHE CO-CREATED TO TEACHERS FROM ALL FIVE PAX CHRISTI SCHOOLS AT ST. ANNE PARISH SCHOOL IN SANTA ANA.
TEACHERS AT THE "DISCIPLE OF CHRIST EDUCATION IN VIRTUE" PROGRAM SHOW OFF THEIR BOXES OF VIRTUE. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
OVER 1,000 GATHER FOR ORANGE COUNTY WALK FOR LIFE
BY MADISON ZUÑIGA
THE FIFTH ANNUAL ORANGE
County Walk for Life drew approximately 1,200 participants on Sat., Oct. 4, at Christ Cathedral campus in Garden Grove.
Starting at 9 a.m., participants prayed an international Rosary in five languages before attending a trilingual Mass presided by Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen. After Mass, the Knights of Columbus led a Eucharistic Procession around the cathedral’s campus. The event concluded with two keynote speakers, pro-life ministry networking, fellowship and food.
Jeffry Rice, event chairman for the Knights of Columbus, explained how the Walk for Life began in 2021.
“It started with 50 people,” he shared. “The second year, it grew to 300. In the third year the bishop asked us to bring it to the cathedral to kick off the Pro-Life
Month in October.”
This year marks the third time that the Christ Cathedral campus has hosted the walk.
The Orange County Walk for Life is distinctive among pro-life events in that it centers around a Eucharistic Procession.
“Jesus, in the real presence of the Eucharist, leads us in our faithful witness to the full spectrum of our support for a culture of life from conception to natural death,” said Rice.
Mike McGranahan, co-chair of the Walk for Life, added: “As many great leaders of the Church both past and present have urged us to do, I believe that prayer is one of the faithful’s biggest tools to promote life and weapons to defend it.”
He added, “The fact that the event concludes with the faithful breaking bread and visiting almost two dozen prolife and pro-family ministries throughout our diocese truly brings the family of our
local Church together.”
Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, was a featured speaker at the event.
“The Walk for Life in Orange County is different because it’s very community-based,” she said.
In her speech, Domingo emphasized the importance of local support provided by the family system.
“The domestic Church is the family,” she said. “You don't often think of the doors of our home as being the doors of the domestic Church that can also welcome people in.”
Megan Morris, director of the Life Center of Santa Ana, also spoke during the event.
“People are here for the Lord,” she said, “and they’re here for the unborn.”
In her speech, Morris discussed the work accomplished by local initiatives.
“We have witnessed the Holy Spirit at work as the Life Center has grown
THE FIFTH ANNUAL ORANGE COUNTY WALK FOR LIFE WAS HELD ON OCT. 4 AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS IN GARDEN GROVE. PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
THIS YEAR MARKS THE THIRD TIME THAT THE CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS HAS HOSTED THE ORANGE COUNTY WALK FOR LIFE.
works as Marketing and Events manager.
“I’m here today,” she said, “because we want to bring awareness to the pregnant women that we’re serving.”
Diana Luperceio attended the walk for the first time with her friend.
“I was extremely excited to come,” she shared. “This is a great event with a great turnout, but I was a little saddened to see that we are some of the only people in our 20s here. I would want to see a lot more people our age, I hope to see more in the future.”
Rick Garrett, a pro-life author and speaker, explained what the event means to him.
“This is always a really fulfilling event, and it’s only gotten better as the years go on,” he said.
Bishop Nguyen told attendees that we all must pray for genuine respect for life at all levels.
“What we do is more than significant—it is essential,” said Bishop Nguyen. “Life is the issue of our day. Unless we respect life, beginning with the lives of the most innocent and defenseless among us, we will never successfully and adequately solve the many other life issues of our day.” C
in incredible ways, including offering virtue-based parenting programs for teen and young adult mothers and fathers.”
Bishop Nguyen delivered a powerful homily that underscored the importance of changing the perception of human life in modern culture.
“The young men and women… deserve the truth, that they are called to be co-creators with the Author of life,” he said. “They deserve better, the women who have just become pregnant, and men who are expecting their first child. The culture of death trains them to treat their unborn child as a dispensable commodity, a passing inconvenience… Children waiting to be born deserve better. They deserve laws that will recognize their inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Morris shared many inspirational stories about young families and children who have chosen life and flourished in the community. In one example, a young mother named Kelly was 20 weeks pregnant and “determined to have an abortion.”
Led by the Lord, she found the Life Center.
“A meal team from St. John the Baptist delivered her meals for two weeks after she had her baby,” explained Morris. “Today, she is parenting her one-year-old son and can't imagine life without him. These stories show the life changing power of accompaniment and the difference that you, your parish and your prayers can make.”
At the resource fair, Kiana Robles represented Casa Teresa, a pregnancy resource center in Santa Ana, where she
BISHOP THANH THAI NGUYEN AND THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS LEAD A EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION AROUND CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS. PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
A FATHER, WITH HIS CHILD IN HIS ARMS, RECEIVES COMMUNION DURING MASS ON OCT. 4.
THE PHARISEE & THE TAX COLLECTOR: NEVER BELIEVE YOUR OWN PRESS
BY DEACON KEVIN DUTHOY
AT MY HIGH SCHOOL reunion, I was greeted by someone I couldn’t recall. Without hesitation, he launched into a list of negative things about former classmates, his business success, promotions and expensive cars. The encounter reminded me of a line by Ira Lewis: “Never believe your own press.”
In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, we hear a spiritual “tale of two cities.” For the Pharisee, it was the best of times, for the tax collector, the worst. Their prayers reveal their hearts. The Pharisee presumed holiness from outward appearance, yet his self-praising words exposed his inner poverty. Using “I” five times, he boasted of accomplishments and belittled the tax collector. His obedience to the Law was not written on his heart.
Jesus asks: whom do we trust—ourselves or the benevolence of the Father?
The tax collector made a humble confession. True humility is recognizing that the greatest truth is not us, but God. He admitted his sin and, echoing Psalm 51, trusted God to be merciful. The Pharisee sought nothing from God, relying on himself. Ironically, he was right that he was “not like the tax collector;” yet it was the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who left
justified. The Pharisee did not seek, ask or knock—and so did not find, receive, or enter into relationship with God.
St. Francis de Sales observed the Pharisee’s judgment of the tax collector was both wrong and late. After his heartfelt prayer, the tax collector was no longer the sinner the Pharisee despised. De Sales concluded what matters most is how we end—from sinner to saint.
The pursuit of sanctity begins with awareness of God’s holiness, not ours. The standard for goodness is not being better than our neighbor but imitating Jesus. Even when we do well, we remain unworthy before our perfect God. The parable demonstrates the gift of saving grace; that our virtues signal our acceptance of that grace, not a right to its reception.
We must ensure our prayers of thanksgiving do not turn into self-congratulation or contempt for others. The Pharisee was indeed righteous under the Law, and the tax collector indeed a sinner, yet the Pharisee prayed
not for reconciliation but for recognition. False religious observance can deaden our sense of the holy—as Francis Bacon warned, we risk becoming “one who handles holy things without feeling.”
The tax collector, like the Prodigal Son, suffered the emptiness of sin and turned back to the Father. He looked heavenward; the Pharisee looked down on others. At times we can be self-righteous, at times repentant. Combining the Pharisee’s virtue with the tax collector’s cry for mercy allows for spiritual growth.
Commentator Michael Marsh wrote, “May the Christ in me see and honor the Christ in you, and the Christ in you see and honor the Christ in me.” Jesus calls us to walk in another’s shoes, replacing judgment with reverence toward others and God. And God modeled this perfectly by sending His Son to share our humanity.
So, what distinguishes the Pharisee from the tax collector? Tradition tells of St. Jerome, who after translating the Bible into Latin, had a vision of Jesus. Jesus asked what gift Jerome would give Him. Jerome offered his translation which Jesus refused. Jerome then offered to
give anything. “Anything?” Jesus asked. Jerome responded: yes. Jesus challenged: “I want you to give me your sins.” The tax collector had done just that while the Pharisee could not even see his sins. The parable ends, but not our story. Each day we must choose—to see the sins of others, or to cry out for mercy. C
PHOTO BY ROD LONG ON UNSPLASH
OC Catholic Afar
David and Kathleen Rea, along with their son Nathan, attended Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and the Shrine of Saint Katharine Dexter while visiting Philadelphia. It has been the site of two Papal Masses.
—The Reas are parishioners at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Yorba Linda.
We want your photos! Send your pictures of “OC Catholic Afar” — of you, family or friends visiting Catholic churches and other interesting places — to editor@occatholic.com. Please include a brief description of the photo, the name of the person(s) featured in the photo and their home parish.
