Could it be that today’s modern “Pharisaism” bears no resemblance to the Pharisaism we think it does?

Ioannis N. Paparrigas | February 1, 2026

 

 

Today’s Gospel remembrance of the Publican and the Pharisee is one of those that we hear every year and think we have already understood. I am almost certain that most of us, when we hear or read the parable, almost automatically identify with the publican, taking for granted that we are the humble, the contrite, the “unworthy” ones. And yet, this very certainty may be the most subtle form of Pharisaism. Could it be that today’s modern “Pharisaism” bears no resemblance to the Pharisaism we think it does? Could it be that it manifests through a constant self-accusation? Could it be that we say “I am a sinner” not because we truly feel it, but because it is the proper vocabulary of the pious person? And could it be that in the end we compare ourselves not by saying “I am not like that one,” but “at least I know I’m a mess”? Are we truly publicans, as we so easily believe, or does our self-proclaimed “humility” function as spiritual reassurance? We say we are sinners, but we say it in a way that comforts us, knowing the right vocabulary, the right expressions, the right postures.

The parable does not call us to pick a side, but to change our stance. It does not tell us to accuse the Pharisee, but to be afraid lest we resemble him without realizing it...

 

Greek source; https://entoytwnika1.blogspot.com/2026/02/blog-post_1.html