Getting Right with God (Father Simon Says)

 


In this powerful episode of Father Simon Says, Fr. Richard Simon explores what it truly means to justify yourself before God, drawing insight from the Parable of the Good Samaritan. When the scholar of the law tries to “justify himself” before Jesus, Fr. Simon explains that the word justify comes from the Greek dikaios, meaning “to be made righteous” – a concept tied to balance, like a set of scales. In Scripture, justice is about being in right relationship with God and others.


Fr. Simon unpacks how ancient Hebrew thought saw a “just man,” or tzaddik, as someone who mirrors the nature of God – merciful, humble, and loving toward all, even enemies. He contrasts this divine idea of justice with the modern mindset of self-justification, where we try to prove we’re “good people” without truly surrendering our hearts to God. “Only God can justify,” Fr. Simon reminds you. “Only He can make us righteous.”


Fr. Simon shares the story of a holy priest who spent his final months in a dark night of the soul, wrestling with the sins of his youth – sins already confessed and forgiven. That experience, Fr. Simon says, was a kind of purgatory on earth, a purification that revealed how God’s mercy works even in the most hidden corners of the soul.


Fr. Simon challenges you to move beyond the comfort of thinking “I’m not so bad” and to instead embrace repentance as a daily act of love and humility. “When you remember the sins of your past,” he says, “thank God and repent again – because He’s letting you feel the depth of His forgiveness.”


You're invited to look honestly at your own heart, to stop trying to earn righteousness, and to let God’s mercy define who you are.


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