Reading 1
1 Tm 4:12-16
Beloved:
Let no one have contempt for your youth,
but set an example for those who believe,
in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.
Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching.
Do not neglect the gift you have,
which was conferred on you through the prophetic word
with the imposition of hands by the presbyterate.
Be diligent in these matters, be absorbed in them,
so that your progress may be evident to everyone.
Attend to yourself and to your teaching;
persevere in both tasks,
for by doing so you will save
both yourself and those who listen to you.
Gospel
Lk 7:36-50
A certain 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;
hence, 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.”
Meditation: Luke 7:36-50
As she wept at Jesus’ feet, bathed them with her tears, and anointed them, the woman in today’s Gospel reading shamelessly demonstrated her love for Jesus.
She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t fear rejection. Her actions overflowed from a conviction deep in her soul that Jesus loved her, and she wanted to return that love.
Why was this woman so confident in what Jesus thought of her? The answer is simple: She experienced his mercy! Surely she must have had some encounter with Jesus before this dramatic episode. Maybe she heard him preach or saw him healing the sick. Whatever it was, Jesus’ words and deeds moved her deeply, and she embraced his message of God’s overflowing mercy. It wasn’t that her repentance made God love her; rather, it opened her heart to the covenant love God had for her. She was transformed because she saw that Jesus had accepted her and was committed to her, no matter how dark her previous life had been.
This story can give us an image of how powerful the Sacrament of Reconciliation can be. We all know that sin puts up barriers between God and ourselves. It blocks our experience of the covenant love God has for us. But we also know that we can tear down these walls by bringing our faults and failings to Confession. That’s where the heavenly floodgates can open, releasing a shower of God’s grace. Confessing our sins and receiving God’s forgiveness really can transform us. Beyond feelings of warmth or happiness, this sacrament can give us the certainty of Jesus’ unflinching commitment to us as he takes us by the hand, calls us his brothers and sisters, and tells us that our sins are forgiven.
The next time you prepare for Confession, be expectant. As you confess your sins, imagine a wall being torn down brick by brick, unleashing the power of God’s covenant of love. As you hear the words of absolution, picture Jesus putting his arm around your shoulder and drawing you close to his side. You are forgiven, and you can go in peace. Jesus still loves you and rejoices to have you draw closer to him. Finally, as you walk away from the sacrament, know that Jesus is walking with you, telling all the angels and saints that you are his!
“Jesus, I am yours! I want to remove all obstacles of sin so that I will know your love.”
1 Timothy 4:12-16; ? Psalm 111:7-10
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