June 16, 2013

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 2 Sm 12:7-10, 13

Nathan said to David:
“Thus says the LORD God of Israel:
‘I anointed you king of Israel.
I rescued you from the hand of Saul.
I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives for your own.
I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah.
And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more.
Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight?
You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword;
you took his wife as your own,
and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites.
Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me
and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’
Then David said to Nathan,
“I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan answered David:
“The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 32:1-2, 5, 7, 11

R. (cf. 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Blessed is the one whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Reading 2 Gal 2:16, 19-21

Brothers and sisters:
We who know that a person is not justified by works of the law
but through faith in Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Christ Jesus
that we may be justified by faith in Christ
and not by works of the law,
because by works of the law no one will be justified.
For through the law I died to the law,
that I might live for God.
I have been crucified with Christ;
yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me;
insofar as I now live in the flesh,
I live by faith in the Son of God
who has loved me and given himself up for me.
I do not nullify the grace of God;
for if justification comes through the law,
then Christ died for nothing.

Gospel Lk 7:36—8:3

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher, ” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
because she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others who provided for them
out of their resources.

Or LK 7:36-50

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher, ” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred day’s wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
because she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

From: 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13

David’s Repentance (continued)

[7] Nathan said to David, “You are the man. Thus says the LORD, the God of Is-
rael, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul;
[8] and I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom,
and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if this were too little, I would
add to you as much more. [9] Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to
do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword,
and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the
Ammonites. [10] ‘Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to
be your wife.’

[13] David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said
to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

12:1-25. Nathan’s intervention (vv. 1-15), David’s repentance (vv. 16-19), and the
birth of Solomon (vv. 20-25) are the main subjects in this chapter. Nathan makes
an appeal to David with one of the most beautiful parables in the Old Testament
and gets the king to condemn his own conduct: “the man who has done this de-
serves to die” (v. 5). In reply, Nathan tells him the penalty the Lord has decreed,
which in line with the law of vengeance or retaliation has three parts to it, corres-
ponding to David’s triple crime—murder, adultery and the fact that the victim was
a blameless man. On account of the murder, the sword will not depart from Da-
vid’s house (V. 10): this punishment will affect his eldest sons, Amnon, Absalom
and Adonijah, who will die violent deaths. For the adultery, his wives will be vio-
lated in public (v. 11), which will happen when Absalom takes his father’s harem
(cf. 16:20-23). And for the killing of an innocent man, his own recently born son
will not survive (v. 14).

David’s repentance is exemplary (vv. 16-19): he weeps for his sin, and fasts and
pleads for his little son: so, in spite of his weaknesses and sins, he still trusts
in the Lord and shows himself to be “a man after (the Lord’s) own heart” (1 Sam
13:14). David is a model of penance because, by acknowledging his sin, he ob-
tained divine forgiveness. His repentance finds expression in Psalm 51, which
so beautifully and piously records the sinful king’s supplication to the Lord:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to
your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from
my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Ps 51:1-2).

The birth of a new son (vv. 20-25) brings this account to an end and makes it
clear that Solomon was born within marriage; his birth causes David great joy
and he is given a second name in a message from Nathan—”Jedidiali” (v. 25);
beloved of the Lord. This means that, from birth, Solomon is the one chosen
by God to advance his plan of salvation for Israel.

Great was David’s sin, and heartfelt his contrition. But God’s forgiveness is grea-
test of all. “In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had
only one reason to reveal himself to theirs, a single motive for choosing them
from among all peoples as his special possession—his sheer gratuitous love.
And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that
God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins”
(”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 218).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Galatians 2:16, 19-21

Peter and Paul at Antioch (continued)

[16] [We] who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through
faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified
by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall
no one be justified.

[19] For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. [20] I have been
crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the
life I know live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. [21] I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through
the law, then Christ died to no purpose.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

16. “All that shadowy observance”, St Augustine comments, “had to cease in
an unnoticed way, gradually, as the pace grew of the wholesome preaching of
the grace of Christ […], during the lifetime of that generation of Jews who had ex-
perienced the physical presence of our Lord and had lived through the apostolic
times. This sufficed to make it clear that those practices were not to be deemed
hateful or idolatrous. But neither were they to be kept up any longer than that, in
case people might hold them to be necessary, as if salvation came from them or
could not be obtained without them” (Letter 82, II, 15).

We might say that there are three periods in observance of the prescriptions of
the Law. In the first period, prior to Christ’s passion, the precepts of the Law were
“alive”, that is, it was obligatory to keep them. A second period was between the
Passion and the spread of apostolic preaching: the Law’s precepts were already
“dead”, no longer obligatory, but there were not “lethal”: Jewish converts could
keep them provided that they did not rely on them, for Christ was already the ba-
sis of their hope. In the third stage, in which we find ourselves, observance of Je-
wish precepts as a means of salvation amounts to denying the redemptive power
of Christ and therefore they could be termed “lethal” (cf. St Thomas Aquinas,
Commentary on Gal, ad loc.).

St Augustine uses a very interesting comparison: with the arrival of faith in Christ
the old “sacraments” of the Law come to resemble the dead – who merit respect
and honour. They should be interred with all the necessary ritual, religiously, re-
verently. They should not be thrown out, to be devoured by predators. But if a
Christian now wants to keep them in force “disturbing the ashes which lie at rest,
he would not be a pious son or a relative who keeps vigil at the grave, but an im-
pious profaner of tombs” (Letter 82, ibid.).

19-20. Through the sacrament of Baptism we have been united to Christ in a un-
ion which far exceeds mere solidarity of feeling: we have been crucified with him,
dying with him to sin, so as to rise reborn into a new life (cf. note on Rom 6: 3-8).
This new life requires us to live in a new, supernatural way, which with the help
of grace gradually becomes stronger and stronger and acts to perfect man’s be-
haviour: he is no longer living on a purely natural level. “That is why a Christian
should live as Christ lived, making the affections of Christ his own, so that he
can exclaim with St Paul: ‘It is now no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me’
[…] to such an extent that each Christian is not simply alter Christus: another
Christ, but ipse Christus: Christ himself!” (St. J. Escriva, Christ is Passing By,
103 and 104).

The life in Christ which the Apostle is speaking about here is not a matter of fee-
lings: it is something real which grace brings about: “Paul’s soul was in between
God and his body: his body was alive, and moved, thanks to the action of Paul’s
soul; but his soul drew its life from Christ’s action. Therefore, in referring to the
life of the flesh, which he was living, St Paul speaks of ‘the life I now live in the
flesh’; but as far as relationship with God was concerned, Christ it was who was
living in Paul, and therefore he says, ‘I live by faith in the Son of God’: it is he
who lives in me and makes me act” (St Thomas Aquinas Commentary on Gal,
ad loc.). This is why the Apostle goes as far as to say elsewhere, “to me to live
is Christ” (Phil 1:21).

All this is a consequence of Christ’s love: he freely gave himself up to death out
of love for each and every one of us. We, like St Paul, can come to appreciate,
through faith, that Christ’s passion affects us personally. Fro this faith will arise
that love which “has the power to effect union […], which inspires those who love
to leave where they are, and which does not allow them to stay the way they are,
but rather transforms them into the object of their love” (Pseudo-Dionysius, De di-
vinis nominibis, 4). People who are very keen on academic pursuits or on sports
often refer to these things as being “their life”. If someone pursues only his own
interest, he is living for himself. If, on the contrary, he seeks the good of others,
we say that he “lives for others”. Therefore, if we love Jesus and are united to
him, we will live “for” him, “by” him, “through” him. “Do you love the earth?”, St
Augustine exclaims. “You will be earth. Do you love God? What am I to say?
That you will be God? I almost don’t dare to say it, but Scripture says it, ‘You
are gods, sons of the Most High’ (Ps 82:6)” (In Epist. Ioann. ad Parthos, II, 14).

This profound truth should move us to devote ourselves to an asceticism motiva-
ted by love: “Let us hasten, therefore, full of spirit, to the fight, fixing our gaze on
the crucified Jesus, who from the Cross offers us his help and promises us victo-
ry and laurels. If we happened to stumble in the past, it was because we did not
keep before our eyes the wounds and disgrace which our Redeemer suffered and
because we did not seek his help. For the future, let us not cease to keep before
our eyes him who suffered on our account and who is ever-ready to come to our
aid […]; if we do so, we shall surely emerge victorious over our enemies” (St Al-
phonsus Mary Liguori, The Love of Jesus Christ, 3).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Luke 7:36 - 8:3

The Woman Who was a Sinner

[36] One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pha-
risee’s house, and sat at table. [37] And behold, a woman of the city, who was
a sinner, when she learned that he was sitting at table in the Pharisee’s house,
brought an alabaster flask of ointment, [38] and standing behind him at his feet,
weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears; and wiped them with the hair
of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. [39] Now
when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man
were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who
is touching him, for she is a sinner.” [40] And Jesus answering said to him, “Si-
mon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “What is it, Teacher?”

[41] “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii and the
other fifty. [42] When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of
them will love him more?” [43] Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, to whom
he forgave more.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” [44] Then tur-
ning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered
your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her
tears and wiped them with her hair. [45] You gave me no kiss, but from the time
I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. [46] You did not anoint my head
with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. [47] Therefore I tell you,
her sins, which are many, are forgiven little, for she loved much; but he who is
forgiven, loves little.” [48] And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” [49] Then
those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this,
who even forgives sins?” [50] And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved
you; go in peace.”

The Holy Women

[8:1] Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages; preaching and bring-
ing the good news of God. And the twelve were with him, [2] and also some wo-
men who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary, called Magdalene,
from whom seven demons had gone out, [3] and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, He-
rod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of
their means.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

36-40. This woman, moved no doubt by grace, was attracted by Christ’s prea-
ching and by what people were saying about him.

When dining, people reclined on low divans leaning on their left arm with their
legs tucked under them, away from the table. A host was expected to give his
guest a kiss of greeting and offer him water for his feet, and perfumes.

41-50. In this short parable of the two debtors Christ teaches us three things—his
own divinity and his power to forgive sins; the merit the woman’s love deserves;
and the discourtesy implied in Simeon’s neglecting to receive Jesus in the con-
ventional way. Our Lord was not interested in these social niceties as such but
in the affection which they expressed; that was why he felt hurt at Simeon’s ne-
glect.

“Jesus notices the omission of the expression of human courtesy and refinement
which the Pharisee failed to show him. Christ is ‘erfectus Deus, perfectus homo’
(”Athanasian Creed”). He is perfect God, the second person of the Blessed Trini-
ty, and perfect man. He comes to save, not to destroy nature. It is from him that
we learn that it is unchristian to treat our fellow men badly, for they are creatures
of God, made in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26)” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of
God”, 73).

Moreover, the Pharisee was wrong to think badly of this sinner and of Jesus: re-
ckoning that Christ did not know anything about her, he complained inwardly.
Our Lord, who could read the secret thoughts of men (which showed his divinity),
intervened to point out to him his mistake. True righteousness, says St Gregory
the Great (cf. “In Evangelia Homiliae”, 33), is compassionate; whereas false righ-
teousness is indignant. There are many people like this Pharisee: forgetting that
they themselves were or are poor sinners, when they see other people’s sin they
immediately become indignant, instead of taking pity on them, or else they rush
to judge them or sneer at them. They forget what St Paul says: “Let any one who
thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12); “Brethren, if any man
is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit
of gentleness [...]. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”
(Gal 6:1-2).

We should strive to have charity govern all our judgments. Otherwise, we will ea-
sily be unjust towards others. “Let us be slow to judge. Each one see things from
his own point of view, as his mind, with all its limitations, tells him, and through
eyes that are often dimmed and clouded by passion.... Of what little worth are
the judgments of men! Don’t judge without sifting your judgment in prayer” (St. J.
Escriva, “The Way”, 451).

Charity and humility will allow us to see in the sins of others our own weak and
helpless position, and will help our hearts go out to the sorrow of every sinner
who repents, for we too would fall into sins as serious or more serious if God in
his mercy did not stay by our side.

“It was not the ointment that the Lord loved”, St Ambrose comments, “but the af-
fection; it was the woman’s faith that pleased him, her humility. And you also, if
you desire grace, increase your love; pour over the body of Jesus Christ your faith
in the Resurrection, the perfume of the holy Church and the ointment of charity
towards others” (”Expositio Evangelii sec. Lucam, in loc.”).

47. Man cannot merit forgiveness for his sins because, since God is the offended
party, they are of infinite gravity. We need the sacrament of Penance, in which
God forgives us by virtue of the infinite merits of Jesus Christ; there is only one in-
dispensable condition for winning God’s forgiveness—our love, our repentance. We
are pardoned to the extent that we love; when our heart is full of love there is no
longer any room in it for sin because we have made room for Jesus, and he says
to us as he said to this woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” Repentance is a sign
that we love God. But it was God who first loved us (cf.1 Jn 4:10). When God for-
gives us he is expressing his love for us. Our love for God is, then, always a res-
ponse to his initiative. By forgiving us God helps us to be more grateful and more
loving towards him. “He loves little”, St Augustine comments, “who has little for-
given. You say that you have not committed many sins: but why is that the case?
[...] The reason is that God was guiding you [...]. There is no sin that one man
commits, which another may not commit also unless God, man’s maker, guides
him” (”Sermon”, 99, 6). Therefore, we ought to fall ever more deeply in love with
our Lord, not only because he forgives us our sins but also because he helps us
by means of his grace not to commit them.

50. Jesus declares that it was faith that moved this woman to throw herself at
his feet and show her repentance; her repentance wins his forgiveness. Similar-
ly, when we approach the sacrament of Penance we should stir up our faith in
the fact that it is “not a human but a divine dialogue. It is a tribunal of divine jus-
tice and especially of mercy, with a loving judge who ‘has no pleasure in the
death of the wicked; I desire that the wicked turn back from his way and live’
(Ezek 33:11)” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 78).

1-3. The Gospel refers a number of times to women accompanying our Lord.
Here St Luke gives us the name of three of them – Mary, called Magdalene, to
whom the risen Christ appeared beside the holy sepulchre (Jn 20:11-18; Mk 16:
9); Joanna, a lady of some position, whom we also meet among the women who
went to the tomb on the morning of the Resurrection (Lk 24:10), and Susanna,
whom the Gospel does not mention again. The role of these women consisted
in helping Jesus and his disciples out of their own resources, thereby showing
their gratitude for what Christ had done for them, and in cooperating his his mini-
stry.

Men and women enjoy equal dignity in the Church. Within the context of that
equality, women certainly have specific characteristics which must necessarily
be reflected in their role in the Church: “All the baptized, men and women alike,
share equally in the dignity, freedom and responsibility of the children of God….
Women are called to bring to the family, to society and to the Church, charac-
teristics which are their own and which they alone can give – their gentle warmth
and untiring generosity, their love for detail, their quick-wittedness and intuition,
their simple and deep piety, their constancy. . . . A woman’s femininity is gen-
uine only if she is aware of the beauty of this contribution for which there is no
substitute – and if she incorporates it into her own life” (St. J. Escriva, Conver-
sations, 14 and 87).

The Gospel makes special reference to the generosity of these woman. It is nice
to know that our Lord availed himself of their charity, and that they responded to
him with such refined and generous detachment that Christian women feel filled
with a holy and fruitful envy (cf. St. J. Escriva, The Way, 981).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading	2 Samuel 12:7-10,13 ©

Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord the God of Israel says this, “I anointed you king over Israel; I delivered you from the hands of Saul; I gave your master’s house to you, his wives into your arms; I gave you the House of Israel and of Judah; and if this were not enough, I would add as much again for you. Why have you shown contempt for the Lord, doing what displeases him? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, taken his wife for your own, and killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. So now the sword will never be far from your House, since you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”’

David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord, for his part, forgives your sin; you are not to die.’

Psalm	Psalm 31:1-2,5,7,11 ©

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,

whose sin is remitted.

O happy the man to whom the Lord

imputes no guilt,

in whose spirit is no guile.

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

But now I have acknowledged my sins;

my guilt I did not hide.

I said: ‘I will confess

my offence to the Lord.’

And you, Lord, have forgiven

the guilt of my sin.

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

You are my hiding place, O Lord;

you save me from distress.

You surround me with cries of deliverance.

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,

exult, you just!

O come, ring out your joy,

all you upright of heart.

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

Second reading	Galatians 2:16,19-21 ©

We acknowledge that what makes a man righteous is not obedience to the Law, but faith in Jesus Christ. We had to become believers in Christ Jesus no less than you had, and now we hold that faith in Christ rather than fidelity to the Law is what justifies us, and that no one can be justified by keeping the Law. In other words, through the Law I am dead to the Law, so that now I can live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, and I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in this body I live in faith: faith in the Son of God who loved me and who sacrificed himself for my sake. I cannot bring myself to give up God’s gift: if the Law can justify us, there is no point in the death of Christ.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Or	1Jn4:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

God so loved us that he sent his Son

to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

Alleluia!

EITHER:

Gospel	Luke 7:36-8:3 ©

One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that is touching him and what a bad name she has.’ Then Jesus took him up and said, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Speak, Master’ was the reply. ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he pardoned them both. Which of them will love him more?’ ‘The one who was pardoned more, I suppose’ answered Simon. Jesus said, ‘You are right.’

Then he turned to the woman. ‘Simon,’ he said ‘you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the man who is forgiven little who shows little love.’ Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Those who were with him at table began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man, that he even forgives sins?’ But he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

Now after this he made his way through towns and villages preaching, and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits and ailments: Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and several others who provided for them out of their own resources.

OR:

Gospel	Luke 7:36-50 ©

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

June Devotion: The Sacred Heart

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of June is set apart for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. "From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion." These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.

The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.

INVOCATION

O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART

Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the characteristic note of the piety of Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), Benedictine nun and renowned mystic. She was, in fact, the first great exponent of devotion to the Sacred Heart. In our efforts to honor the Heart of Jesus we have this prayer as a model for our own:
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, 0 my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
Saint Gertrude

FOR THE CHURCH

O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy; to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love. Amen.

A PRAYER OF TRUST

O God, who didst in wondrous manner reveal to the virgin, Margaret Mary, the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart, grant that loving Thee, after her example, in all things and above all things, we may in Thy Heart find our abiding home.
Roman Missal

ACT OF LOVE

Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions. Unite me to It for ever. Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to Thee: Yes, Lord, I am all Thine;
pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart will never cease to be there. Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously pleased to repair all m] wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Merry del Val

MEMORARE TO THE SACRED HEART
Remember, O most sweet Jesus, that no one who has had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its help, or sought its mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushed beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Only for Love: The Sacred Heart and the Priesthood [Catholic Caucus]

Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART, 10-19-09
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart Today
The Biblical Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Heart to Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion) [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
(June) The Month of the Sacred Heart {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
The Heart of the World (On the Sacred Heart of Jesus) (Catholic Caucus)
The Sacred Heart Is The Holy Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Origin of the Sacred Heart Badge

Importance of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Edmond Kline
Catholic Prayer and Devotion: June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Devotions: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Urges Jesuits to Spread Sacred Heart Devotion
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Meditation and Devotion: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Recomendation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus powerful prayer!
The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist
The Love of the Sacred Heart

On the Sacred Heart - "We Adore God's Love of Humanity"
HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary
See this Heart
‘God Will Act and Will Reign’
About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Rediscover Feast of Sacred Heart, John Paul II Tells Youth

"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."

- Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary

Our Lord also made 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary for those that are devoted to His Sacred Heart.

I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
I will give peace in their families.
I will console them in all their troubles.
They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
Tepid souls shall become fervent.
Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.
I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.
The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY LK 7:36-50

Unilateral forgiveness

Fr. Paul Scalia

Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven” (cf. Lk 7:36-50). What beautiful words from our Savior to this sinful woman. A wonderful act of forgiveness and mercy, except that ... she had not asked for it. In fact, no one in the Gospels asks for His forgiveness — not the paralytic lowered through the roof for healing, not the jeering crowd on Calvary. Yet He forgives them anyway. This woman, by her gestures of repentance — bathing His feet with tears, drying them with her hair, and anointing them with oil — she comes the closest. Her actions speak what she in fact never says: “Forgive me.”

All of which emphasizes God's initiative: He forgives before we ask. He bestows mercy even though we are unworthy of it. He does not require that we be perfect in order to be forgiven — that would be a contradiction. He does not insist that we ask in just the right way, with all our i’s dotted and t’s crossed. That would amount to Christian reincarnation: Keep trying until you get it right. No, He extends forgiveness before we are ready, before we even ask. So, when we ask for forgiveness we are not trying to change His mind, as if He has to be cajoled and persuaded. Rather, we are availing ourselves of something already extended to us. We ask for His forgiveness, not so that He will give (for He already has) but so that we can receive.

This should give us confidence in approaching the sacrament of penance. Forgiveness awaits us there already. We enter the confessional not to convince the minister to forgive but to avail ourselves of what he is there to give. The requirements for a good confession (examine the conscience, make a firm purpose of amendment, list the sins clearly and do not withhold mortal sins) are not tests or hurdles, but how we open the soul to receive forgiveness. And even after all that no one can say he confessed perfectly. No human act of repentance can sufficiently express the gravity of sin or make one worthy of mercy. So, like the woman in the Gospel, we sort of barge into the confessional and awkwardly but sincerely give expression as best we can to our sorrow for sin and desire for reconciliation. Forgiveness awaits us in the confessional. We simply need to avail ourselves of it.

Our Lord's initiative in forgiveness — His unilateral decision to forgive before anyone asks — should likewise shape our mercy toward others. We pray daily for a correspondence between God's mercy and ours: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

God extends forgiveness before we are worthy, before we even ask. We, however, hold grudges and say, “I will forgive so-and-so when he comes and asks.” Or “I will forgive her when she shows me she is sorry.” What if God did that? What if He withheld His mercy until we had performed some act worthy of it? We approach Him in confidence precisely because we know that He forgives despite our unworthiness. Others should feel the same freedom with us.

This is what it means to love one's enemies — to make the interior decision to forgive, whether or not the other asks for our forgiveness. The day may come when the person asks, in which case we can be reconciled. Other times, sadly, that day may never come — in which case we imitate Our Lord even more by bearing in our hearts forgiveness for those who have not asked. Christian forgiveness goes forth before the offender has repented,despite his unworthiness. That is how Christ acts towards us and how we ought to act toward others.

Fr. Scalia is Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde’s delegate for clergy.

Archdiocese of Washington

Always Remember: A Homily for the 11th Sunday of the Year

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

Every now and then it will be said by some that the Church should speak less of sin and emphasize more positive things. It is said that honey attracts more flies than vinegar. And indeed, we in the Church have been collectively de-emphasizing sin to a large degree for more than forty years. But, despite predictions, our churches have been getting emptier and emptier. Maybe this is because people are a little more complicated than the “flies” in the old saying.

Jesus also gives the reason in today’s Gospel as to why our churches are getting emptier. Simply put there is less love. He says, But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little. (Luke 7:47)

Why is there less love? As Jesus says, there is less love because there is less appreciation of what the Lord has done for us and the debt He paid for us. Because debt of sin is no longer preached as it should be, we are less aware of just how grave our condition is. Thus we under-appreciate what the Lord has done for us. This in turn diminishes love, and a lack of love leads to absence and neglect.

Understanding sin is essential for us to understand what the Lord has done for us. Remembering what the Lord has done for us brings gratitude and love. To those who want the Church to de-emphasize sin Jesus warns, But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little. (Luke 7:47)

Here then is the gospel in summary form, and the short, TV Mass version of my sermon. If you wish to ponder more, here follows a further commentary:

I. Rich Love – The Gospel opens with a sign of extravagant love. The text says, A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.

One may argue as to the value of the ointment in this passage. Some have wished to opine that she was a wealthy on account of prostitution, and could thus afford an expensive ointment. Fine. But her tears were far more costly than any ointment. Yes, her tears are the most costly thing in her life, born on great pain and costly sorrow.

It is true, many of her sorrows are likely the result of her own foolishness. But that does not decrease her pain, it increases it. Yes, the most costly thing with which she anoints the Lord’s feet is her tears. There is nothing more precious to the Lord than the love of his faithful, than their sorrow for sins, and their turning to him in love and repentance; no greater gift.

In Jesus day people ate a formal dinner reclining on the floor, on a mat, on their left side. Their feet were behind them and they ate with their right hand. This explains the ability of the woman to approach Jesus’ feet from behind.

In this sense she is able to “surprise” Jesus by her love. Perhaps she was not ready to look upon his face and behold his holy countenance. Just his feet, the lowliest aspect of his sacred humanity, that is where she begins. She humbles herself to serve that part of him that most engages our lowly earth. There, even the Son of God had callouses, perhaps even a wound or two. Yes, there she saw reflected her own humility, saw her own callouses and wounds. There she would discover the first wounds the Savior endured for us; wounds that reflected that He knew what this world can do to a person.

She loves, sharing the incalculable gift of her own sorrows, sorrow for sin and sorrow on account of others who sinned against her. And there she found a friend in Jesus who, though sinless himself, had suffered mightily on account of the sins of others and would suffer more.

Such love, such relief. And, as we shall see, her love is rooted in an experience of mercy. And her experience of mercy is rooted in a deep knowledge of her sinfulness. That experience led her to deep gratitude for the love the Lord had shown her. As we shall also see, her experience of the depths of God’s mercy is something we must all some how experience.

And we too are called to go to the Lord in sorrow and love. And there at the foot of the cross we look up. And what is the first thing we see? His feet. And there, like the woman, we are called to love, to weeping for our sins, and to the remembrance of His mercy for us.

II. Rebuke - When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”

Here is a dangerous comparison. The Pharisee accounts himself and others to be better or more holy than she. He seems to have no idea that he is also in need of grace and mercy as well.

There is a great danger in thinking that we can attain to heaven merely by being better than someone else. But that is NOT the standard. The Standard, to obtain heaven is to be like Jesus. And if we will lay hold of that, we will see that we are ALL going a lot of grace and mercy to even stand a chance! Yes, to this Pharisee and to some of us the cry must go out: “Danger (Will Robinson)!”

The danger for us is a danger that prevents us from experiencing God’s grace mercy and love. The danger is our prideful presumption that we are less needy that others who are more sinful.

While it is true that, a purely human level, some many have sins more serious than others, at the divine level we are ALL poor and blind beggars who don’t stand a chance in comparison with the perfection and holiness of God. Even if I were to have $500 in comparison to your $50, the true value necessary to be able to endure God’s holiness is $50 Trillion. Thus, whatever differences may exist between you and I are nothing in comparison to the boatloads of grace mercy we will both need to ever hope to see God.

The Pharisee’s exasperation is borne on a blindness to his own sin. And, being blind in this way, his heart is ill-equipped to love or even experience love. He has no sense he needs it all! His sense is that he is has earned God’s love and that God somehow owes him. But God does not owe him. His only hope is grace, love and mercy from God.

Having no sense of his sin, he smugly dismisses this woman’s action as reprehensible. And he even considers Jesus naïve and of no account for accepting her love. Yet, Jesus is not naïve and the Pharisee had ought to be rather more careful since the measure that he measures will be measured back to him. His lack of mercy for her, brings a standard of strict justice on him. But he cannot endure this sort of justice. He is badly misled.

III. Rejoinder – Jesus said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher, ” he said. “Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

And here comes the central point of this gospel, a point we have too widely set aside today. And the point is simply that, to appreciate the glory of the good news, we must first lay hold of the of the bad news. We must grasp the depths of our sin to appreciate the heights of God’s love and mercy.

But in this modern age which minimizes sins and has said, in effect, “I’m OK you’re OK,” little penetration of the depths of sin is made. And thus, there is little appreciation for the glory for God’s steadfast love and mercy.

Jesus could not be clearer, until we know the bill of our sins and grasp that we cannot even come close to paying it, we will make light of mercy and consider the gift of salvation wrought for us as of little or no account.

How tragic it is then, that many preachers in Church have stopped preaching sin. The effect of course, as was mentioned above, has been to minimize love and empty our churches. Knowing our sin, if such knowledge is of the Holy Spirit, leads to love. Jesus now points to the woman as a picture of what is necessary.

IV. Remembrance - Jesus points to the Woman and says, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

Yes, behold her love, a love which is the fruit of a remembrance of what the Lord has done for her. She knows and remembers that she has been forgiven much. It is fixed in her mind what the Lord has done for her and she is grateful and different.

And here is the heart of what it means to remember. Has not the Lord told us all to remember what he has done for us? Indeed, he says it at every Mass: Do this in remembrance of me.
What does it mean to remember? It means to have so present in my mind and heart what the Lord has done for you that you’re grateful, and you’re different.

This woman cannot forget what Jesus has done for her. She remembers, she is grateful and she is different.

We too must be willing to go to the foot of the cross and let it dawn on us what the Lord has done for us, to let it dawn so that we are grateful and different, so that we are moved to love for the Lord and for others.

Go with me to the foot of the cross and pray (in the words of psalm 38):

Foul and festering are my sores,
at the face of my own foolishness.
I am stooped and turned deeply inward
And I walk about, all the day in sorrow.

I am afflicted and deeply humiliated
I groan in the weeping of my heart.

Before you O Lord are all my desires,
And my weeping is not hid from you.
My hearts shudders, my strength forsakes me,
And the very light itself has gone from my eyes.

But it is there, at the foot of the cross, that his mercy dawns on us, there in the shadow of our own sins does the power of his mercy break through our broken and humbled hearts:

I Love the Lord for he has heard
The voice of my lamentation.
For he turned his ear to me
On the day I called to him!

The lines of death had surrounded me,
And the anguish of Hell had found me.
In my tribulation and sorrow I called on the Lord,
“O Lord save my soul!”

Ah, The Lord is merciful and just,
Our God has had mercy!
The Lord guards his little ones.
I was humbled and he saved me!

Be turned back my soul to your rest,
My eyes, from tears, and my feet from slipping!
For I will walk in the presence of the Lord,
In the land of the living. (Psalm 116)

Always remember what the Lord has done for you. Go to the foot of the Cross. Let the Lord show you what he has done for you. Always remember and never forget. If you do, you will be grateful and different.

Some time ago the world cast off sorrow for sin as “unhealthy.” And, sadly, the larger part of the Church bought into the self esteem craze of the 1970s and 80s. It is true, there such a thing as morbid and unhealthy guilt. But there is also a godly sorrow of which St. Paul writes:

If I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. (2 Cor 7:8-11)

It is time for us all to rediscover godly sorrow, a sorrow for sins that comes from the Holy Spirit and which is the root of love and gratitude for the salvation of God. Without it we are too easily like the Pharisee in today’s Gospel: arrogant, harsh, dismissive, and self satisfied. As the Lord says, The one to whom little is forgiven, loves little. But with it we are like the woman: grateful, loving, serving, and extravagant.

Remember what the Lord has done for you. That is, let what the Lord has done for you be so present in your mind and heart that you are grateful and you are different.

Always Remember.

Sunday Gospel Reflections

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: 2Sm 12:7-10,13 II: Gal 2:16,19-21

Gospel
Luke 7:36-50

³⁶ A Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
³⁷ Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
³⁸ she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner."
⁴⁰ Jesus said to him in reply, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.
⁴¹ "Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
⁴² Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?"
⁴³ Simon said in reply, "The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven." He said to him, "You have judged rightly."
⁴⁴ Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment.
⁴⁷ So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
⁴⁸ He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
⁴⁹ The others at table said to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
⁵⁰ But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Interesting Details

The story parallels the anointing of Jesus by Mary Bethany after the raising of Lazarus (Mk 14: 3-9; Mt 26:6-13, Jn 12:1-8). It is likely that Luke reworks that story to emphasize on the forgiving love of God.
(v. 36) recline at table: They were eating in the Greek style which people lounge on their side, with the feet pointing away from the table. Thus the woman can stand "behind him at his feet."
(v. 37) who was a sinner: To contrast with the Pharisee, Luke introduces a woman (without a name), whose exact nature of her sin is not known, but it was sufficiently public. Later tradition often mistakenly identifies this woman with Mary Madgala. There is no such evidence in the text.
(vv. 41-42) two debtors: the parable is straightforward. It serves as a point of reflection on the link between the concept of "forgiveness" as applied to debt and sin.
(vv. 43-44) The parable also serves as an example of the attitude of the woman and of Simon the Pharisee toward Jesus. The "love" shown by this woman demonstrates how she must have been forgiven.
(vv. 44-47) you did not give me: the phrase is repeated for each of the way Simon has failed in hospitality: water for cleansing, a kiss of greeting, oil for anointing. The woman's action shows her state of forgiveness; Simon's refusal indicates a lack of forgiveness.
(vv. 47-48) sins have been forgiven: Luke uses a passive voice here to declare what has been done for her by God.
(v. 50) faith has saved you: Here faith is linked with salvation, and implicitly with forgiveness.

One Main Point

Jesus is portrayed as friends of sinners, a constant theme in Luke. Accepting Jesus means the openness to accept God's plan of forgiveness.

Reflections

How would you express your love for Jesus? For other people?

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