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.”
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.
Meditation: Luke 7:36–8:3
Your faith has saved you; go in peace. (Luke 7:50)
Ignoring the gasps that must have been uttered by the guests, the woman burst into Simon’s house with her eyes fixed on Jesus. His earlier acts of kindness and compassion had stirred her heart and filled her with courage. A seed of faith was growing in her, and she was compelled to worship Jesus for the love she was beginning to experience.
Surely the guests were disgusted. Didn’t Jesus know who this woman was? She didn’t deserve to speak to him, let alone touch him. Sensing their discomfort, Jesus told Simon a story about two men who owed money to a moneylender. In a sweeping move of undeserved kindness, the moneylender forgave their debts completely. Perhaps all the guests felt that their observance of the law had earned them the right to be with Jesus. And here is Jesus, commending this woman for her faith! What kind of faith did she have? Weren’t they better than her?
Simon’s guests seem to have had a different understanding of faith. For them, it had something to do with their religious standing or their outward appearance. None of them was caught up in obvious sin, after all. But the faith Jesus saw in this “sinful” woman was different. He saw an open heart and a willingness to change her ways. He saw a heart that was pierced with love. And for that, heaven’s doors were opened to her.
What a generous God we have! He always welcomes us. He is always ready to forgive us, to deliver us, and to teach us. He hears our every cry for help, and it delights him when we run to him. Today, let’s all take on the faith that this woman had by simply turning to Jesus and telling him that we want to be with him. He will take care of the rest.
“Thank you, Jesus, for the seed of faith that you have given me. I come to you today, with all my sins and failings, and lay them at your feet. I know you can heal me and save me!”
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Questions for Individual Reflection or Group Discussion
(2 Samuel 12:7-10,13; Psalm 32:1-2,5,7,11; Galatians 2:16,19-21; Luke 7:36–8:3)
1. In the first reading, Nathan reveals to David the consequences of his murder of Uriah. Why do you think David is still called a “man after God’s heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), in spite of this horrible sin?
2. The responsorial psalm speaks of the fruit of repentance in the psalmist’s life? How would you describe the fruits of repentance in your life?
3. In the second reading, Paul says that he has been “crucified with Christ.” What does this mean? In what ways have you been “crucified with Christ”?
4. In the Gospel, the woman with the alabaster jar performs a great deed out of love for Jesus. Then Jesus proclaims these amazing words, “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.” What do these words mean to you, and how do they apply to your life?
5. The meditation speaks eloquently of the graces that are ours each time we receive the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. How would you describe the importance in your life of receiving Jesus’ body and blood in the Eucharist? Discuss some steps that you can take to deepen the impact of the Eucharist on your life.
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