The Proud and the Humble
Michael Conway was a Navy chaplain and one of the great heroes of World War II. When the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sunk in the Philippine Sea, he and nine hundred other sailors were left adrift. Few lifeboats survived the catastrophe, and most of the men had only their kapok life jackets. Father Conway made it his duty to swim from group to group offering spiritual support and encouragement. After three days and nights of tireless effort, the young priest quietly slipped beneath the surface and was gone.
In a Saturday Evening Post article, one of the survivors later recalled the chaplain holding services the day before the Indianapolis went down, and needing two mess decks to accommodate the large, overflow crowd. He was always popular with Catholic and Protestant sailors alike. It was reported that in this service, “He spoke on the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (or tax collector in modern translations), likening them to two sailors appearing before the captain of the ship.”394
Unfortunately, the details of this sermon are lost, but it is not difficult to grasp the intended image: Two sailors accused of breaking regulations stand before the captain for judgment. One is unrepentant and defensive. He argues about the regulation itself and cites how often others break it. He will not admit a mistake. The other sailor has little to say, except to confess his guilt and express his remorse. Looking at each man’s similar service record, the captain makes the same decision you or I would make, and confirms the point made by Jesus in his great parable: the humble and remorseful are treated mercifully and justified by their earthly superiors and God. Jesus has little to offer those who justify themselves.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
—Luke 18:14