Whilst God doesn’t have favourites, the weekends readings tell us that he does have a preference for the humble. Even if you do lead a good and blameless life there's no need to boast about it. God knows us intimately and doesn’t need to be told just how good we are. The tax collector, for all his sins, seems to have chosen the better path in his sorrow and humility.

Some people like just salt on their food and other people like only pepper. Like black and white, salt and pepper seem to be opposites. But some people like them both and use them together, as complements to each other’s flavour. The proud Pharisee and the humble sinner seem to be opposites, but they can also be seen as complements as well.

The proud Pharisee was able to understand the good things about himself. This gave him confidence to pray in thanksgiving for his blessings. It’s good to be thankful for blessings, but Jesus would probably say the proud Pharisee took it a bit too far. Why do you think so?