“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men...’But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:10-13) The parable of the Pharisee and tax collector is not just about prayer. It is a parable about many aspects of life. It is about how we approach God. It is about how we live, as is evident from Jesus’ concluding statement in Luke 18:14. When we read this parable, we should not limit it by saying it’s about this one thing. We are to embrace the humility of the tax collector and allow this parable to shape our lives in multiple ways.

Critics say a House bill proposing $7.5 billion in new funding for public education doesn’t go far enough, The Dallas Morning News reported. House Bill 2 would raise the per-student allotment by $220, to $6,360 a year.

T EXAS History Breaking their habit of working strictly at night, a bandit band of brothers robbed the bank at New Braunfels in broad daylight on March 12, 1922. If Willis Newton can be believed, and that is a big “if,” the Newton Boys were the most successful bank and train robbers of all-time.

I have been officially notified: I am elderly. I received this not too welcome news when I was fingerprinted recently.

To the Editor: Little Donnie Trump’s record on foreign affairs is abysmal, having admired Tsar Putin and his thuggery for years. On multiple occasions, he praised the Tsar, including in February 2022 with the statement: “… he’s taking over a country for two dollars’ worth of sanctions.

To the Editor: As a permanent resident of our wonderful small town of Round Top, I just want to thank our great Mayor, Judith Vincent, for dedicating her time to guide our community. Her commitment to making sure our budget is balanced, and our projects get completed is over and above what is required.

To the Editor: It is with great pride that I step into the role of Postmaster for Round Top. As the new Postmaster, I am honored to serve this incredible community.

To the Editor: I’ve had the pleasure of seeing all of our county fire departments work at one time or another but last Friday was different; it was my property on fire and needing their attention. One of my neighbors had a spark come off of his tractor, and a large fire ensued that was estimated near 70 acres in total.

To the Editor: Up until a few days ago, the United States government supported our ally, Ukraine, a free country that had been invaded by Russia three years ago. The elected leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, recently met with our president, Trump, to discuss continuation of support for the war in Ukraine.

I recently visited my brother in Boston, marking my first trip to New England. As he showed me around the city, I was struck by two things: the beauty of the place and its rich history. Every street and building seemed to be something I’d studied in history class. But there was something else that caught my attention: the people. Growing up in smalltown Texas, my way of interacting with others felt out of place in Boston.