In today's Gospel, Luke poses an important question about discipleship: Who is righteous, unrighteous and self-righteous? In other words, Who is saved? Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself; O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity - greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like this tax collector. but the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and prayed: O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. God alone can make a person righteous, that is, saved.