{"id":16700,"date":"2025-10-26T08:16:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T08:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theboholtimes.com\/?p=16700"},"modified":"2025-11-02T08:15:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T08:15:00","slug":"never-be-boastful-in-our-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theboholtimes.com\/?p=16700","title":{"rendered":"Never be boastful in our prayer<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THAT\u2019S what we can get from the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. (cfr. Lk 18,9-14) Especially before God, we never have any reason to brag about our own righteousness. We may be doing a lot of good, but let\u2019s not spoil them and render them useless by crowing about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to be humble in our prayer. That is what would effectively connect us with God, please him and \u201cnudge\u201d him to give us more favors. A humble prayer \u201cpierces the clouds\u201d and reaches the ears of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humility in our prayer, as shown in that parable, would win us our own justification before God. It enables us to recognize our constant need for God\u2019s mercy. It puts us in the state of always seeking and doing God\u2019s will, rather than seeking our own personal recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, with God, we have no reason at all to show off whatever good we have done, for everything good comes from him. He knows them already, and for sure is happy with that fact. What we have to do instead is to feel the great need we have of him since we cannot deny that despite all the good things we have done, we continue to have defects and weaknesses, if not all kinds of sin themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s remember what St. James in his Letter said in this regard: \u201cGod opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.\u201d (4,6) With the current tendency in our culture to fall into virtue signaling or moral posturing, we really need to do some extra effort to remain humble and simple, always feeling the need for God, for forgiveness and for more grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One source defines virtue signaling as \u201cthe action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one\u2019s good character or the moral correctness of one\u2019s position on a particular issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another source puts it as \u201ca pejorative neologism for the conspicuous and disingenuous expression of moral values with the intent to enhance one\u2019s own image.\u201d Still another source describes it as taking \u201ca conspicuous but essentially useless action ostensibly to support a good cause but actually to show off how much more moral one is than everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to develop in us a gloomy and negative self-esteem. Rather the contrary. It is to be realistic about ourselves that would enable us to know more objectively both the good and bad aspects of our life. If we have a realistic and healthy self-esteem, we would know how to approach God properly in prayer, since we would be both thankful to him for the good things we have, and begging for mercy for the bad things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acknowledgement of the negative things in our life before God does not undercut the value of the good things we have done. Such acknowledgement would in fact reinforce the merits of those good things. Thus, it is always worthwhile to remain humble in our prayer in the way the publican prayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to continually work on the proper dispositions for our prayer which should be marked by humility, trust in God\u2019s goodness and willingness to listen, a sincerity that really comes from the heart, and perseverance.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because we should always to contend with our human weaknesses, the hostile environment that we always have in the world, not to mention the powerful spiritual enemies that are ranged against us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THAT\u2019S what we can get from the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. (cfr. Lk 18,9-14) Especially before God, we never have any reason to brag about our own righteousness. We may be doing a lot of good, but let\u2019s not spoil them and render them useless by<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-reflections",""],"yoast_head":"\nNever be boastful in our prayer - The Bohol Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theboholtimes.com\/?p=16700\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Never be boastful in our prayer - The Bohol Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"THAT\u2019S what we can get from the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. 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