By Archpriest Dr Georgios Lekkas
Our Lord directed his harshest words against the Pharisees, who, though they observed the Law, were far from God in their hearts.
A Pharisee is someone who has such a high opinion of himself that he fails to recognise how greatly he is in need of God. The Pharisee believes he has faith in God, but the reality is that he acknowledges no god outside himself. He follows God's Law not in order to please God, but only to appease his own conscience. And because he is so satisfied with himself, his heart is as closed to God as it is to his neighbour.