Here’s more potential controversy! At any rate, it won’t sit well with some folks. In the Epistle, Paul points out that the same grace is given to all. This extends from those who were closest to Jesus, such as Peter, to those like Paul who had once persecuted Jesus’ followers.
The gospel points out another basic fact, that being that excessive pride does not bring grace. A Pharisee and a tax collector went to pray in the temple. The Pharisee was supposedly a paragon of righteousness, while the tax collector was seen as a crook. But who was it that went home justified?
The Universal Episcopal Church 