“Her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love.” (Lk 7:47)
FIRST READING: 1 COR 15:1-11
A reading from the Letter of St. paul to the Corinthians
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.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY: LK 7:36-50
From the Gospel according to Luke
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.”
24TH THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - (Lk 7:36-50)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In the Word of God today, God the Father invites His children all over the world: fear God the Father, because He is the Almighty, the One who brings life, and He has power over human death. No god is as great as God the Father.
Only God has the power to cast the soul and body into hell or to bring the soul and body into the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven, to have eternal life. No one has the power to forgive sins, nor can anyone see how their brothers and sisters commit sins that displease God the Father, except God the Father alone. Therefore, only God the Father - the Creator of human beings - has the right to judge, and to have power over human beings. Besides Him, no creature has control over the soul and body of human beings.
Today's Word of God warns everyone in the world: No one has any authority over another person's soul and body. Why? Because only God the Father is the Creator of man, so only He has the right to judge and the right to reward.
The Word of God also teaches the children of mankind: no matter how sinful a person is and how he displeases God the Father, if he repents and knows how to fear God, returns to Him, reconciles with Him, fears, loves Him with all his heart and loves others as himself, then God the Father will forgive all sins. But whoever is still arrogant and complacent before God the Father, thinking that he knows all the sins of his brothers and sisters; whoever is still arrogant and judges others, condemns, blames, and hates will be punished by God the Father. He will punish you more severely if you know your sins but do not repent of them before God the Father, do not fear Him and live meekly, humbly, lovingly, forgivingly, and acceptingly with your brothers and sisters.
In particular, God the Father invites His children when they walk in the work of God the Father, under the working of the Holy Spirit: Do not condemn, do not blame your brothers and sisters, do not exclude, but love and forgive, accept the sins and weaknesses of others to listen to and practice the Word of God together.
Do not accuse, do not condemn, do not judge like the Pharisees today, because the actions of the Pharisees such as condemning, and blaming that woman did not please God the Father. Because He said that only God is the One who condemns, judges, and forgives sins, the job of humans is to recognize their own sins to live meekly and humbly, to humble themselves before God the Father, to fear Him, and to love others as themselves. Because He emphasized that only God the Father is the highest and most powerful. If our brothers and sisters make mistakes? God the Father will correct them, will transform them. Our job is to love and love, to forgive, to forgive unconditionally, and to support everyone, so that they have the opportunity to come closer to the light of God, to escape from sin, to escape from the captivity of Satan.
Today's Word of God earnestly invites humans to create opportunities for others to come closer to God, not to close their hearts, not to condemn, not to judge, to recognize their status as sinful people before God the Father to love and forgive. Through that, you will also be loved and forgiven by God, and admit your sins before God the Father and others, and that is what pleases God the Father. Love God above all things and love others as yourself. That is the commandment that God the Father has set since He created man, and that is also the most important law of human laws.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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