Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon,
Priest, and Paul Chong Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 446
Lectionary: 446
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the Apostles,
not fit to be called an Apostle,
because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the Apostles,
not fit to be called an Apostle,
because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 118:1B-2, 16AB-17, 28
R. (1) Give
thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
"The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
the right hand of the LORD has struck with power."
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
You are my God, and I give thanks to you;
O my God, I extol you.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
"The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
the right hand of the LORD has struck with power."
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
You are my God, and I give thanks to you;
O my God, I extol you.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
AlleluiaMT 11:28
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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."
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: "Which will love him
more?"
What fuels the love that surpasses all other loves?
Unbounding gratitude for sure! No one who met Jesus could do so with
indifference. They were either attracted to him or repelled by him. Why did a
Pharisee invite Jesus to his house for dinner and then treat him discourteously
by neglecting to give him the customary signs of respect and honor? [This
account has some similarities to the account of Simon the leper in Matthew
26:6-13 and Mark 14:3, as well as the account in John 12:1-8.] Simon was very likely
a collector of celebrities. He patronized Jesus because of his popularity with
the crowds. Why did he criticize Jesus' compassionate treatment of a woman of
ill repute - most likely a prostitute? The Pharisees shunned the company of
public sinners and in so doing they neglected to give them the help they needed
to find healing and wholeness.
The power of extravagant love and gratitude
Why did a woman with a bad reputation approach Jesus and anoint him with her tears and costly perfume at the risk of ridicule and abuse by others? The woman's action was motivated by one thing, and one thing only, namely, her love for Jesus - she loved greatly out of gratitude for the kindness and forgiveness she had received from Jesus. She did something a Jewish woman would never do in public. She loosened her hair and anointed Jesus with her tears. It was customary for a woman on her wedding day to bind her hair. For a married woman to loosen her hair in public was a sign of grave immodesty. This woman was oblivious to all around her, except for Jesus.
Why did a woman with a bad reputation approach Jesus and anoint him with her tears and costly perfume at the risk of ridicule and abuse by others? The woman's action was motivated by one thing, and one thing only, namely, her love for Jesus - she loved greatly out of gratitude for the kindness and forgiveness she had received from Jesus. She did something a Jewish woman would never do in public. She loosened her hair and anointed Jesus with her tears. It was customary for a woman on her wedding day to bind her hair. For a married woman to loosen her hair in public was a sign of grave immodesty. This woman was oblivious to all around her, except for Jesus.
Love gives all - the best we have
She also did something which only love can do. She took the most precious thing she had and spent it all on Jesus. Her love was not calculated but extravagant. In a spirit of humility and heart-felt repentance, she lavishly served the one who showed her the mercy and kindness of God. Jesus, in his customary fashion, never lost the opportunity to draw a lesson from such a deed.
She also did something which only love can do. She took the most precious thing she had and spent it all on Jesus. Her love was not calculated but extravagant. In a spirit of humility and heart-felt repentance, she lavishly served the one who showed her the mercy and kindness of God. Jesus, in his customary fashion, never lost the opportunity to draw a lesson from such a deed.
The debt of gratitude for mercy and forgiveness
Why did Jesus put the parable of the two debtors before his learned host, a religious Jew who was well versed in the Jewish Scriptures and who would have rigorously followed the letter of the Law of Moses? This parable is similar to the parable of the unforgiving official (see Matthew 18:23-35) in which the man who was forgiven much showed himself merciless and unforgiving. Jesus makes clear that great love springs from a heart forgiven and cleansed. Peter the Apostle tells us that "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). It was love that motivated the Father in heaven to send his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, to offer up his life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. The woman's lavish expression of love was an offering of gratitude for the great forgiveness, kindness, and mercy Jesus had shown to her.
Why did Jesus put the parable of the two debtors before his learned host, a religious Jew who was well versed in the Jewish Scriptures and who would have rigorously followed the letter of the Law of Moses? This parable is similar to the parable of the unforgiving official (see Matthew 18:23-35) in which the man who was forgiven much showed himself merciless and unforgiving. Jesus makes clear that great love springs from a heart forgiven and cleansed. Peter the Apostle tells us that "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). It was love that motivated the Father in heaven to send his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, to offer up his life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. The woman's lavish expression of love was an offering of gratitude for the great forgiveness, kindness, and mercy Jesus had shown to her.
The stark contrast of attitudes between Simon and the
woman of ill-repute demonstrates how we can either accept or reject God's mercy
and forgiveness. Simon, who regarded himself as an upright Pharisee, did not
feel any particular need for pardon and mercy. His self-sufficiency kept him
from acknowledging his need for God's grace - his gracious gift of favor, help,
and mercy. Are you grateful for God's mercy and pardon?
"Lord Jesus, your grace is sufficient for me.
Fill my heart with love and gratitude for the mercy you have shown to me and
give me joy and freedom to love and serve others with kindness and
respect."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Jesus the Physician brings miraculous
healing to the woman's sins, by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD)
"Healing the sick is a physician's glory. Our
Lord did this to increase the disgrace of the Pharisee, who discredited the
glory of our Physician. He worked signs in the streets, worked even greater
signs once he entered the Pharisee’s house than those that he had worked
outside. In the streets, he healed sick bodies, but inside, he healed sick
souls. Outside, he had given life to the death of Lazarus. Inside, he gave life
to the death of the sinful woman. He restored the living soul to a dead body
that it had left, and he drove off the deadly sin from a sinful woman in whom
it dwelt. That blind Pharisee, for whom wonders were not enough, discredited
the common things he saw because of the wondrous things he failed to
see." (excerpt from HOMILY ON OUR LORD
42.2)
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 20, LUKE 7:36-50
(1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Psalm 118)
(1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Psalm 118)
KEY VERSE: "Her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love" (v. 47).
TO KNOW: As Jesus reclined at table in the home of a Pharisee (Simon the Leper in Mk 14:3-9), a woman entered the room and anointed him with oil. She was weeping in gratitude for the forgiveness she had received. The Pharisee was critical of Jesus for allowing this woman, a known sinner, to touch him. Jesus told his host a story of a money lender who forgave the debts of two people. The one who was most in debt was more grateful to his creditor than the one who owed less. Jesus reminded his self-righteous host that he had not provided the normal courtesies due a guest: giving a kiss of peace and bathing his feet. By contrast, the woman graciously kissed Jesus' feet and poured out her love by anointing him. Because her many sins had been pardoned, she was able to be generous in return. Her act was symbolic of Jesus' role as God's "anointed one" (Greek, Christos, Hebrew, Mashiach). Her action can also be viewed as preparation for Jesus' death and burial.
TO LOVE: What acts of kindness is the Lord asking me to do today?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to be grateful for the mercy you have shown to me.
Memorial of
Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, priest and martyr; Saint Paul Chŏng Hasang, martyr,
and their Companions, martyrs
During the 19th century, Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn was Korea's first native priest, and the first priest to die for the faith in Korea. As leader of the community, Andrew was tortured and beheaded in 1846 at Seoul, Korea. Also martyred was Paul Chŏng Hasang, a layman, who was one of the founders of the Catholic Church in Korea. Hasang had reunited the scattered Christians, and encouraged them to keep their faith despite persecution. He died in the Gi Hye persecution of 1839 before he could be ordained. Three bishops and seven priests, were also put to death, but most of the martyrs were heroic laity, men and women, married and single of all ages. These martyrs were canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1984.
NOTE: The Korean Church is unique because it was founded entirely by zealous laypeople in the 17th century. This fledgling Church, so young and yet so strong in faith, withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could boast of 10,000 martyrs. The death of these many martyrs became the leaven of the Church and led to the flowering of the Church in Korea. Even today their undying spirit sustains the Christians of the "Church of Silence" in the north of this tragically divided land.
Thursday 20 September
2018
Paul Chong Ha-Sang and Companions.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Psalm 117(118):1-2, 15-17, 28. Luke
7:36-50.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good—Psalm 117(118):1-2,
15-17, 28.
‘She has shown great love …’
The woman approaches Jesus without making eye contact. Her
attention is on his feet and the reverent and tender care she brings to washing
them with her tears, wiping them with her hair and anointing them with
ointment. She has little but the ointment from the alabaster jar and kisses and
tears from her own self to give in an act of sorrowful love.
She is repentant and seeks love and forgiveness. Jesus is moved
by her great love and faithfulness, by her simple yet profound act. He forgives
her. She leaves in peace.
Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions
Saint of the Day for September 20
(August 21, 1821 – September 16, 1846; Companions d.
between 1839 – 1867)
Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and
Companions’ Story
The first native Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon was the son of
Christian converts. Following his baptism at the age of 15, Andrew traveled
1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China. After six years, he managed to return
to his country through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to
Shanghai and was ordained a priest. Back home again, he was assigned to arrange
for more missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border
patrol. He was arrested, tortured, and finally beheaded at the Han River near
Seoul, the capital.
Andrew’s father Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the
persecution of 1839, and was beatified in 1925. Paul Chong Hasang, a lay
apostle and married man, also died in 1839 at age 45.
Among the other martyrs in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried
woman of 26. She was put in prison, pierced with hot tools and seared with
burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in
a cell with condemned criminals, but were not molested. After Columba
complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two
were beheaded. Peter Ryou, a boy of 13, had his flesh so badly torn that
he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation.
Protase Chong, a 41-year-old nobleman, apostatized under torture and was freed.
Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death.
Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592
when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers.
Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside
world except for taking taxes to Beijing annually. On one of these occasions,
around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated
Korean Christians to study. A home Church began. When a Chinese priest managed
to enter secretly a dozen years later, he found 4,000 Catholics, none of whom
had ever seen a priest. Seven years later there were 10,000 Catholics. Religious
freedom came to Korea in 1883.
Besides Andrew and Paul, Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans
and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867, when
he visited Korea in 1984. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most
part they were lay persons: 47 women and 45 men.
Reflection
We marvel at the fact that the Korean Church was strictly a lay
Church for a dozen years after its birth. How did the people survive without
the Eucharist? It is no belittling of this and other sacraments to realize that
there must be a living faith before there can be a truly beneficial celebration
of the Eucharist. The sacraments are signs of God’s initiative and response to
faith already present. The sacraments increase grace and faith, but only if
there is something ready to be increased.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 7:36-50
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Almighty God,
our creator and guide,
may we serve You with all our hearts
and know Your forgiveness in our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
our creator and guide,
may we serve You with all our hearts
and know Your forgiveness in our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING - LUKE
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."
3) REFLECTION
• Today’s Gospel presents the episode of
the woman with the perfume who was accepted by Jesus during a feast in house of
Simon the Pharisee. One of the aspects of the novelty of the Good News of Jesus
is the surprising attitude of Jesus toward women. At the time of the New
Testament women lived marginalized. In the Synagogue they could not participate
in the public life and they could not be witnesses. Many women, though,
resisted this exclusion. From the time of Ezra, the marginalization of women
had been increasing on the part of the religious authority (Ezr 9:1 to 10:44),
and the resistance of women against their exclusion, also increased, as we can
see in the stories of Judith, Esther, Ruth, Noemi, Suzanne, and the Sulamite
and others. This resistance found echo and acceptance in Jesus. In the episode
of the woman with the perfume there is inconformity which springs up and the
resistance of the women in the life of every day and the acceptance of Jesus.
• Luke 7:36-38: The situation which breaks out the debate. Three completely different persons meet with one another: Jesus, Simon, the Pharisee, a practicing Jew, and the woman, whom they said that she was a sinner. Jesus is in the house of Simon who has invited Him to dinner with him. The woman enters, and she places herself at the feet of Jesus, and begins to cry, bathing Jesus’ feet with her tears, and dries them with her loose hair. She kisses His feet and anoints them with perfume. To get the hair loose in public was a gesture of independence. Jesus does not draw back, nor does He send the woman away, rather He accepts her gesture.
• Luke 7:39-40: The reaction of the Pharisee and the response of Jesus. Jesus was accepting a person, who, according to the custom of the time, could not be accepted, because she was a sinner. The Pharisee, observing everything, criticizes Jesus and condemns the woman: “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this woman is and what sort of person it is who is touching Him and what a bad name she has”. Jesus uses a parable to respond to the provocation of the Pharisee.
• Luke 7:41-43: The parable of the two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, the other 50. Neither one was able to pay, both of them were forgiven. Which of them will love their master more? Response of the Pharisee: “The one who was let off more, I suppose!” The parable presupposes that both, the Pharisee and the woman, had received some favor from Jesus. By the attitude that both take before Jesus they indicate how much they appreciate the favor received. The Pharisee shows his love, his gratitude, by inviting Jesus to eat with him. The woman shows her love, her gratitude, by her tears, the kisses and the perfume.
• Luke 7:44-47: The message of Jesus for the Pharisee. After having received the response of the Pharisee, Jesus applies the parable. Even if He was in the house of the Pharisee, invited by him, Jesus does not lose the freedom to speak and to act. He defends the woman against the criticism of the practicing Jew. The message of Jesus for the Pharisees of all times is this one: “The one who is forgiven little, loves little!” A Pharisee thinks that he is not a sinner because he observes the law in everything. The personal assurance that I, a Pharisee, create for myself many times, in the observance of the Law of God and of the Church, prevents me from experiencing the gratuity of the love of God. What is important is not the observance of the law in itself, but the love with which I observe the law. And using the symbols of the love of the woman, Jesus responds to the Pharisee who considered himself to be in peace with God: “you poured no water over My feet; you gave Me no kiss, you did not anoint My head with perfumed oil! Simon, in spite of the banquet that you have offered Me, you have loved very little!”
• Luke 7:48-50: The word of Jesus to the woman. Jesus declares that the woman is forgiven and then adds: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace!” Here we have the novelty of the attitude of Jesus. He does not condemn but He accepts. It is faith which helps the woman to encounter herself and to encounter God. In the relationship with Jesus, a new force springs up in her and makes her be born again.
• Luke 7:36-38: The situation which breaks out the debate. Three completely different persons meet with one another: Jesus, Simon, the Pharisee, a practicing Jew, and the woman, whom they said that she was a sinner. Jesus is in the house of Simon who has invited Him to dinner with him. The woman enters, and she places herself at the feet of Jesus, and begins to cry, bathing Jesus’ feet with her tears, and dries them with her loose hair. She kisses His feet and anoints them with perfume. To get the hair loose in public was a gesture of independence. Jesus does not draw back, nor does He send the woman away, rather He accepts her gesture.
• Luke 7:39-40: The reaction of the Pharisee and the response of Jesus. Jesus was accepting a person, who, according to the custom of the time, could not be accepted, because she was a sinner. The Pharisee, observing everything, criticizes Jesus and condemns the woman: “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this woman is and what sort of person it is who is touching Him and what a bad name she has”. Jesus uses a parable to respond to the provocation of the Pharisee.
• Luke 7:41-43: The parable of the two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, the other 50. Neither one was able to pay, both of them were forgiven. Which of them will love their master more? Response of the Pharisee: “The one who was let off more, I suppose!” The parable presupposes that both, the Pharisee and the woman, had received some favor from Jesus. By the attitude that both take before Jesus they indicate how much they appreciate the favor received. The Pharisee shows his love, his gratitude, by inviting Jesus to eat with him. The woman shows her love, her gratitude, by her tears, the kisses and the perfume.
• Luke 7:44-47: The message of Jesus for the Pharisee. After having received the response of the Pharisee, Jesus applies the parable. Even if He was in the house of the Pharisee, invited by him, Jesus does not lose the freedom to speak and to act. He defends the woman against the criticism of the practicing Jew. The message of Jesus for the Pharisees of all times is this one: “The one who is forgiven little, loves little!” A Pharisee thinks that he is not a sinner because he observes the law in everything. The personal assurance that I, a Pharisee, create for myself many times, in the observance of the Law of God and of the Church, prevents me from experiencing the gratuity of the love of God. What is important is not the observance of the law in itself, but the love with which I observe the law. And using the symbols of the love of the woman, Jesus responds to the Pharisee who considered himself to be in peace with God: “you poured no water over My feet; you gave Me no kiss, you did not anoint My head with perfumed oil! Simon, in spite of the banquet that you have offered Me, you have loved very little!”
• Luke 7:48-50: The word of Jesus to the woman. Jesus declares that the woman is forgiven and then adds: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace!” Here we have the novelty of the attitude of Jesus. He does not condemn but He accepts. It is faith which helps the woman to encounter herself and to encounter God. In the relationship with Jesus, a new force springs up in her and makes her be born again.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Where, when, and how are women
despised or rejected by the Pharisee of today?
• The woman certainly would not have done what she did if she was not absolutely certain that Jesus would accept her. Do the marginalized and migrant persons have the same certainty today?
• The woman certainly would not have done what she did if she was not absolutely certain that Jesus would accept her. Do the marginalized and migrant persons have the same certainty today?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
For Yahweh is good,
His faithful love is everlasting,
His constancy from age to age. (Ps 100,5)
His faithful love is everlasting,
His constancy from age to age. (Ps 100,5)
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