Wednesday, September 19, 2012

 

THURSDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012
MEMORIAL, ST. ANDREW KIM TAEGON, ST PAUL CHONG HASANG & COMPANIONS
THURSDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

1 Cor 15:1-11 / Lk 7:36-50

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11
Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, of the Good News that I preached to you and which you received and on which you stand firm. By that Gospel you are saved, provided that you hold to it as I preached it. Otherwise, you will have believed in vain. In the first place, I have passed on to you what I myself received: that Christ died for our sins, as Scripture says; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. Afterwards he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters together; most of them are still alive, although some have already gone to rest. Then he appeared to James and after that to all the apostles. And last of all, he appeared to the most despicable of them, this is to me. For I am the last of the apostles, and I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. Nevertheless, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been without fruit. Far from it, I have toiled more than all of them, although not I, rather the grace of God in me. Now, whether it was I or they, this we preach and this you have believed.

LUKE 7:36-50
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to share his meal, so he went to the Pharisee's home, and as usual reclined at the table to eat. And it happened that a woman of this town, who was known as a sinner, heard that he was in the Pharisee's house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and stood behind him, at his feet, weeping. She wet his feet with her tears, she dried them with her hair, she kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them. The Pharisee who had invited Jesus was watching, and thought, "If this man were a prophet, he would know what sort of person is touching him; isn't this woman a sinner?" Then Jesus spoke to the Pharisee and said, "Simon, I have something to ask you." He answered, "Speak, master." And Jesus said, "Two people were in debt to the same creditor. One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty. As they were unable to pay him back, he graciously canceled the debts of both. Now, which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, who was forgiven more." And Jesus said, "You are right." And turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? You gave me no water for my feet when I entered your house, but she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You didn't welcome me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since she came in. You provided no oil for my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. This is why, I tell you, her sins, her many sins, are forgiven, because of her great love. But the one who is forgiven little, has little love." Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven." The others reclining with him at the table began to wonder, "Now this man claims to forgive sins!" But Jesus again spoke to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace!"

REFLECTION
Between Simon and the woman, who is in fact the larger debtor? If "debts" equals "sins", then the woman is clearly the larger debtor. But in the formula of the parable, if "God" equals "creditor", then what kind of loans does he make? Not sin, of course, but rather talents, gifts and opportunities.

So who is the larger debtor? Simon, of course. As an educated Pharisee, Simon was more gifted by God than the woman who was probably a prostitute, living on the margin of society. The sad irony is that, in Simon's case, the man with the greater debts is the one with the lesser love, made evident through his lack of courtesy to Jesus.

Are we grateful to God for all the gifts and talents that he has given us? Do we show that gratitude through fervent love? The woman in this story is a beautiful example of the transforming power of Jesus' love. She carried with her the burden of a sinful life that left her soul starving for truth and goodness. Her contact with Jesus must have made her realize that in Jesus, a better way of life was indeed possible. In Simon's house, in her generous spirit of repentance, tears flow which she used to wash the feet of Jesus. This sense of thankfulness of the woman should be at the foundation of each one of our reflections. Our lives of love should be the sign for everyone that we have experienced the forgiveness of Jesus.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Fr. Ismael Zuloaga, SJ
- Mon Torres
- Fleur Torres
- Ditas dela Paz
… for the personal intentions of
- Pauline
- Beny Chua
… In Memoriam: Eriberta C. Calvario
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Lourdes Chan
- Kaye Factoran
- Bernardo Santiago Jr
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam (+): Roy Papa
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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