September 18, 2025
Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 446
Reading 1
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.
Responsorial Psalm
R.(2) How great are the works of the Lord!
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
prudent are all who live by it.
His praise endures forever.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
Alleluia
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.
Gospel
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."
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/0091825.cfm
Commentary on 1
Timothy 4:12-16
Having given Timothy instructions on the qualities needed
for “bishops” and “deacons”, Paul goes on with some advice for Timothy himself.
First, Paul tells him not to allow anyone to look down on him or ignore him
because of his relative youth. It is believed that Timothy was in his mid-30s
or even younger. Perhaps, for this reason, his leadership was called in
question by older, or even younger, members of the community. In those days,
positions of community leadership would normally not be held by someone so
young.
We have seen that, in general, the leaders of the churches
were called ‘elders’, because they were ‘senior citizens’. It was believed that
wisdom and experience went with age. But there could be exceptions. One
outstanding example was the Macedonian Alexander, who, even as a very young
man, had a mesmeric influence on his troops.
Timothy is to counter this possible disadvantage, not by
exerting his authority or throwing his weight about, but by the way he speaks
and behaves. He will have the greatest influence by his display of love for
all, the evident depth of his Christian faith, and his “purity” which includes
not only sexual propriety, but integrity in general. He is to be a totally
transparent person. It is a recipe for any Christian leader today.
While he waits for Paul’s arrival, he is to devote himself
to reading to the people, presumably from the Old Testament and from the
Christian tradition that had been gathered by that time. Depending on the date
when the Letter was actually written, the Gospels may not yet have been put
together. If a later date is accepted, then Matthew, Mark and Luke could have
been in circulation.
Paul also reminds Timothy that he has been given by the
community a solemn mandate and a charism to carry out his mission of church
leadership:
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given
to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.
The “laying on of hands” could be the rite for transmitting
a grace or charism. It could be the gesture used when blessing, or healing, or
imparting the Holy Spirit to the newly baptised. It could also be the rite for
consecrating a person for a particular ministry, as in this passage and later
in the same letter (1 Tim 5:22). With this laying on of hands, Timothy is
endowed with a special grace and authority to carry out his special ministry.
(Notice he was given his ministry by the ‘lay’ elders of his community who laid
hands on him. Ultimate authority is in the community.)
The gift is also given “through prophecy”. The ‘prophet’ was
a person highly esteemed in the Christian communities of Paul’s time. In Paul’s
list of charisms in the First Letter to the Corinthians, ‘prophets’ are listed
immediately behind ‘apostles’ in importance, ahead of teachers, healers and
administrators (see 1 Cor 12:28). The prophet did not just foretell the future.
He or she was one who could communicate a special message of encouragement or
warning from God to the community. It is likely that Timothy’s being chosen for
his special ministry was the result of such a prophetic utterance. Since the
day on which he received the imposition of hands, Timothy has had a permanent
charism (‘grace-gift’) that consecrates him to his ministry.
If Timothy conscientiously follows the instructions of Paul,
then everyone will see how well he does. And he will bring about the salvation
both of those who listen to him and his own. Salvation is both an event and an
ongoing process. We are saved at the time we say ‘Yes’ to Christ’s call, but are
still being saved in the sense of continually being made more conformed to
Christ’s image (1 Cor 1:18). In Baptism we become incorporated into the Body of
Christ and experience his redeeming love, but it is at the same time only the
beginning of a long journey of an ever-deepening experiencing and living out of
that love. As they say, not to go forward is to go back.
The advice Paul gives to Timothy can be applied in large
measure to all of us. We should not judge others or allow ourselves to be
judged merely on the matter of age, whether we are young or old, or on any
other prejudicial stereotype for that matter—being a woman, disabled, member of
a religious or ethnic minority, our sexual orientation or anything else.
Second, the quality of our Christianity is ultimately judged
by the way we externally live our Christian calling, not just by what we say or
the authority labels we attach to ourselves. As Jesus said about the Pharisees:
…do whatever they teach you and follow it, but do not do
as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. (Matt 23:3)
What people can see should also clearly reflect what is
inside. We cannot, in any case, live a false life for very long. As the Gospel
reminds us, a rotten tree cannot bear good fruit.
Third, we too need to recognise and reflect on the unique
gifts we have been given by which we are called to serve the community.
Lastly, the quality of our external Christian witness
depends a great deal on an interior life enriched by reading, reflection and
especially regular prayer. We cannot enrich others with something we do not
have. That, in a nutshell, is Paul’s advice to Timothy—and to each one of us.
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Commentary on Luke
7:36-50
Today’s passage is one of the most striking scenes in the
whole of the Gospel. It is a story only found in Luke and, in a way it is
strange that it is not otherwise recorded. It is not the same as the anointing
of Jesus at Bethany, described by Matthew (26:6-13). Perhaps to some,
especially Jewish readers, it was a little too daring and close to the edge
because it is a highly intimate story in which Jesus is deeply involved.
We are told that a Pharisee—his name is Simon—was keen to
have Jesus eat at his house. The word ‘Pharisee’ means ‘separated one’ and they
numbered about 6,000 throughout Palestine. They taught in synagogues and, as
their name implies, they saw themselves on a higher level of religious
observance than their fellow Jews. They believed that interpretations and rules
handed down by tradition had virtually the same authority as Scripture (see
Mark 7:8-13). As a result, they were constantly bothered by Jesus’ behaviour.
Jesus accepted the invitation and he joined Simon and others
at the table. We should notice that Jesus accepted invitations from both
Pharisees and tax collectors. Both were equally deserving of his love and
service. The diners would be reclining on couches, rather than sitting, as was
the fashion of the day. This helps to explain what is going to happen.
It is not clear whether what happened next was totally
spontaneous or whether it was part of a conspiracy to put Jesus in a
compromising position where he could be denounced (not unlike his being
presented with an adulterous woman in John 8:1-11). In one sense, it was
strange that a woman such as this could burst into a Pharisee’s house
unchallenged (there must have been servants); on the other hand, houses were
not bolted and barred as they are in our more civilised (?) times.
What is clear is that the woman’s own intentions were
sincere. We are told she was “a sinner”. ‘Sinner’ here can only refer to some
public immorality, and very likely she was a ‘woman of the street’, perhaps a
prostitute, or at least a woman known for her promiscuous behaviour.
She was eager to meet with Jesus and heard that he was
dining at Simon’s house. So she burst in, bringing an alabaster box of ointment
(probably quite expensive) and came up to Jesus from behind. She immediately
began crying and her abundant tears bathed Jesus’ feet. She then began to dry
his feet with her long hair. The fact that she wore her hair down or let it
down in public itself indicates that she was a ‘loose woman’. She kissed the
feet of Jesus and poured the ointment over them.
Simon, whether he had planned the intrusion or not, was
deeply shocked at the extraordinary scene that was playing out before his eyes
and in his house. If Jesus was really a prophet, he thought to himself, he
would know what kind of a woman this was who was touching him. She was a
sinner, and no good person (least of all a rabbi!) should allow anything
remotely like that to take place.
Jesus, fully aware of what was going on in Simon’s mind,
tells him a story about two debtors. One owed a large amount and the other a
smaller amount. However, the creditor wrote off both debts. Which of the two,
Jesus asked, would be more grateful and appreciative? Obviously the one who had
been remitted the larger debt, said Simon.
“You have judged rightly”, replied Jesus and then went on to
apply the parable to the present situation. In the process he indicates
something that Simon had probably not thought of—that he, too, was a sinner,
even though to a lesser degree. This was true because Simon had been guilty of
not extending even the ordinary courtesies of hospitality to his guest. He said
to Simon:
I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet,
but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You
gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my
feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with
ointment.
And now comes the point of the story. Jesus says:
Therefore, 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.
And turning to the woman at his feet, Jesus says:
Your sins are forgiven.
The guests at table begin to ask each other:
Who is this who even forgives sins?
But Jesus says to the woman:
Your faith has saved you; go in peace.
This is a really extraordinary story. To appreciate this,
one has to enter into it visually and be really present with all one’s senses
active. What comes across is the amazing composure and inner security and
freedom of Jesus during the whole episode. He shows absolutely no signs of
being uncomfortable or embarrassed. He does not pull away or tell the woman to
stop what she is doing.
Here is this woman, known to be a public sinner, who comes
in and weeps over him, wipes his feet with her hair and keeps kissing them
passionately. The guests are highly disturbed, shocked and probably
embarrassed, but Jesus remains perfectly at ease. He knows what the woman is
doing and why; he is not worried about what others might think she is doing.
Let us admire his ability to focus totally on the woman and
not be self-conscious about the other people around. Imagine what a tabloid
publication might have made of this scene! What if something like that were to
happen today with a bishop or priest, or some other prominent person? How would
most clergy—or other public people react in such a situation?
Jesus knows that the woman is expressing both sincere
repentance and a great affection for Jesus. She is expressing her repentance in
the only way that she knows. She is a highly tactile person; it is part of her
way of life. To the sexually immature, what she is doing—and Jesus’ acceptance
of it—seems at the very least, unbecoming, and at the worst bordering on the
obscene.
But Jesus says her sins are now forgiven. It was really the
passionate love she was showing which indicated that she had won forgiveness.
Love and sin are incompatible; they cannot co-exist in the same person. She was
loving Jesus so much at that moment that she could not be a sinner. Simon could
not see this. His concept of sin was purely legalistic, but for Jesus it is
relational.
At this point her immoral past was totally irrelevant. In
our society, wrongdoers can be stuck with labels often for the rest of their
lives irrespective of how they have changed. God does not work that way. He
deals with persons as they are in the here and now. What I did yesterday does
not matter. All that matters is what I am doing now, how I am relating to God
and those around me right now.
We remember the man who died beside Jesus on the cross. He
had led a terrible life and was now being executed for his crimes. Yet he
appeals to Jesus and is promised that he will go to God hand in hand with
Jesus. Unfair? Fortunately God’s ideas of fairness are not ours—otherwise we
might be in trouble because of our past.
Once again we see how God, in Jesus, always tries to
rehabilitate and not to punish. Punishment destroys—God’s desire is that we all
be made whole and experience inner peace and harmony.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/o1245g/
Thursday,
September 18, 2025
Ordinary Time
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, forever and ever. Amen.
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."
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, 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.
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?
Concluding Prayer
For Yahweh is good, His faithful love is everlasting, His
constancy from age to age. (Ps 100: 5)
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