Commentary on Verse 3 No man, speaking by the Spirit of God, & c. He tells them, if they see a person moved in an extraordinary manner, and say anathema, curse, or speak ill of Jesus, such an one cannot be moved by a good spirit. And no man can say, the Lord Jesus, that is, praise Christ as he ought, but by a good spirit. (Wi.)

5 And there are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord;

6 And there are diversities of operations, but the same God, Who worketh all in all.

7 And the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit.

Commentary on Verse 4-7 There are diversities of grace. Literally, divisions of grace; but all from the same spirit, from the same Lord, from the same God: and all these gifts are designed, and to be made use of for the profit of the faithful. (Wi.) – Saint Justin Martyr, Saint Irenaeus, and Origen bear testimony, that these special gifts of the Holy Ghost were not unusual in their time. Saint Paul, in order to curb the vanity of such as seemed to be a little puffed up with the gifts they had received, and likewise to comfort those who had received no such spiritual and extraordinary favors, wishes to teach both parties, that the same Holy Spirit distributes these graces according as they are more conducive to the welfare of His Church, and the glory of God. (Calmet)

Commentary on Verse 8 Word of wisdom, which differs from that of knowledge, inasmuch as wisdom is a more eminent and sublime knowledge. These are numbered among the gifts of the Holy Ghost. (Isaias chapter 11) – To another faith, by which, says Saint Chrysostom, is not here meant a belief of revealed truths, but an humble confidence of working miracles, grounded on faith, and on the power and goodness of God. – The same Spirit worketh, dividing to every one according as He will; by which words, they that valued themselves on the gifts of prophesying, and speaking tongues, are put in mind, that all these were purely the gifts of God, to Whom alone the honor is due. (Wi.)

10 To another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the discerning of spirits; to another, diverse kinds of tongues; to another, interpretation of speeches.

11 But all these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to every one according as He will.

Gospel: St. Luke 18: 9-14

9 And to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised others, He spoke also this parable:

Commentary on Verse 9 In this chapter we have three examples of prayer: one of the persevering widow; another of the poor publican, who solicits the divine mercy by the acknowledgment of his crimes; and the third of the proud Pharisee, who only goes to the temple to pronounce his own panegyric, and enter upon a accusation of his humble neighbor, whose heart is unknown to him. (Calmet)

11 The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give Thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.

Commentary on Verse 11 The Pharisee standing. The Greek is, standing by himself, i.e. separated from the rest. Some understand this term, standing, as if in opposition to kneeling or prostrating, which they suppose to be the general posture in which the Jews offered up their prayers, and that of the humble publican. The Christians borrowed this practice from them. We see the apostles and disciples praying on their knees: Acts 7: 59, 9: 40, 20: 36. In the Old Testament, we see the same observed. Solomon, (3 Kings 8: 54) Daniel, (6: 10) and Micheas, (6: 6) prayed in that posture. Others however, think that the people generally prayed standing, as there were neither benches nor chairs in the temple. (Calmet) – There are four ways by which men are guilty of pride: 1st, By thinking they have any good from themselves; 2nd, by thinking that though they have received it from above, it was given them as due to their own merits; 3rd, by boasting of the good they do not possess; and fourthly, by desiring to be thought the only persons that possess the good qualities of which they thus pride themselves. The pride of the Pharisee seems to have consisted in attributing to himself alone the qualities of which he boasted. (Saint Gregory, mor. l. 23, c. 4.) – He who is guilty of publicly speaking against his neighbor, is likewise the cause of much damage to himself and others. 1st, He injures the hearer; because if he be a sinner, he rejoices to find an accomplice; if he be just, he is tempted to vanity, seeing himself exempt from the crimes with which others are charged. 2nd, He injures the Church, by exposing it to be insulted for the defects of its members. 3rd, He causes the name of God to be blasphemed; for, as God is glorified by our good actions, so is He dishonored by sin. 4th, He renders himself guilty, by disclosing that which it was his duty not to have mentioned. (Saint Chrysostom, Sermon on the Pharisee et Pub.)

Commentary on Verse 12 See how the Pharisee here, by pride, lays open to the enemy his heart, which he had in vain shut against him by fasting and prayer. It is in vain to defend a city, if you leave the enemy a single passage, by which he may enter in. (Saint Gregory, mor. l. 19. c. 12)

14 I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.

Commentary on Verse 14 If any one should ask why the Pharisee is here condemned for speaking some few words in his own commendation, and why the like sentence was not passed on Job, who praised himself much more; the difference is evident: the former praised himself without any necessity, merely with an intention of indulging his vanity, and extolling himself over the poor publican; the latter, being overwhelmed with misery, and upbraided by his friends, as if, forsaken of God, he suffered his present distress in punishment of his crimes, justifies himself by recounting his virtues for the greater glory of God, and to preserve himself and others in the steady practice of virtue, under similar temptations. (Theophylactus)

Haydock Commentary for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost