COLLECT: “LOOK UPON US, O GOD, CREATOR AND RULER OF ALL THINGS, AND, THAT WE MAY FEEL THE WORKING OF YOUR MERCY, GRANT THAT WE MAY SERVE YOU WITH ALL OUR HEART. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
1Cor 15:1-11; Ps 117:1-2,16-17,28 and Lk 7:36-50.
Our sins always make us betray the Lord of Heaven who saved us on the Cross. Today’s scriptures are relevant for all of us, sinners that we are. They present before us two modelled converted sinners, Paul, who formerly persecuted the Church of God, and the city woman who wept for her sins, used her tears to bathe Jesus’ feet and anointed them with a very expensive alabaster ointment. Paul and the women respectively, acknowledged their sins, truly felt sorry for their sins, confessed their sins, repented and were forgiven by the Forgiven Lord of Heaven. The first reading is deeply genuine, humble and soul touching confession of Paul. May I emulate this.
Today’s Gospel puts to us that, we become sinful or we commit sin when we fail to do or carry out the simple basic and daily social things in life. We commit more sins when we see other people doing their best to carry out the very things we fail or neglect to do, and we criticize them. Simon committed several social errors by neglecting to extend courtesy to Jesus through washing of the feet of a guest, anointing the head of the guest and offering the guest a kiss of greeting.
The sinful woman offered Jesus all these gestures. The Pharisee even complained and criticized both Jesus and the sinful woman that, “If this man (Jesus) were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is, who is touching him, that she is a sinner”. So, who eventually was the sinner, the Pharisee or the woman, and which of them received forgiveness? Truly, though God’s grace through faith, is what saves us, and not acts of love or generosity, this grateful immoral woman’s acts demonstrated her true faith, and Jesus honoured her and forgave her. This also teaches us that we need to cooperate with God to save us, for ‘God created us without us, but cannot save us without us’. One way to cooperate with God for our salvation is to let our faith produce good deeds like this sinful woman.
May the Lord help all of us to always know and acknowledge our own sins, have true sorrow for them, confess, be forgiven, and then fervently live for the Lord. May Saint Robert Bellarmine intercede for us not to betray the Lord. Stay blessed and happy feast to all who bear the name Robert Bellarmine.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, THURSDAY, ON THE MYSTERIES OF LIGHT: ‘THE BAPTISM OF JESUS, THE WEDDING AT CANA, THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM, THE TRANSFIGURATION, AND THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST’. (WE PRAY FOR OPENNESS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, PRAY TO JESUS THROUGH MARY, FOR REPENTANCE AND TRUST IN GOD, THE DESIRE FOR HOLINESS, AND WE PRAY FOR THE SPIRIT OF ADORATION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “GRANT THAT YOUR FAITHFUL, O LORD, WHO YOU NOURISHED AND ENDOW WITH LIFE THROUGH THE FOOD OF YOUR WORK AND HEAVENLY SACRAMENT, MAY SO BENEFIT FORM YOUR BELOVED SON’S GREAT GIFTS THAT WE MAY MERIT AN ETERNAL SHARE IN HIS LIFE AMEN. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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