Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 8: 1-3

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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These three verses from Luke’s Gospel are filled with interesting, sometimes overlooked, details. 

First, Luke tells us, “Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another.” At first read, it’s easy to presume that’s what Jesus always did; he came to encounter, to preach, to heal, and to save.

But the reason why Jesus is journeying from one village to another is because he’s been thrown out of the synagogues. This initiates a new phase in his ministry whereby the mountains, the hills, and the sea serve as his pulpit. 

The weak and sinful are mesmerized by him, while the religious authorities are plotting his death.

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In addition to the Twelve Apostles, Luke tells us that “some women” were part of this travelling caravan. They all have one important thing in common: each was healed by Jesus.

Filled with gratitude for the Lord, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and others, become Christ’s devotees, providing for him out of their own personal resources – food, shelter, and the comfort of their companionship. 

Some of these women will also stand with him at the Cross.

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What makes this band of women so interesting is how different they are. Mary Magdalene had “seven demons” cast out of her. Some say she was once mentally ill, even a prostitute. 

Meanwhile, Joanna, came from significant means and influence; she was the wife of King Herod’s highest financial advisor.

Seeing these two women come together reminds us of Christ’s ability to bring together very different people under a single cause, just as he did with the Apostles.

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So, what might these verses mean for us?

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As different as we may be – in age, experience, background – each of our hearts has been touched by Christ. That love for Jesus is what unites us. As Saint Paul says, “Bear with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” 

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Image credits: (1) Escape to Reality (2) Jesus Preaching on the Mount, Gustave Dare (3) Striving for Reality, WordPress

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Gospel: 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Who is this woman? How did she get into Simon the Pharisee’s home? Why did she wash the feet of Jesus? 

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In ancient Palestine, wealthy homeowners built their homes around an open courtyard, often in the form of an empty square. Within the courtyard, there would be a garden and a fountain, evoking the Garden of Eden.

This is where Simon the Pharisee would’ve hosted Jesus.

When rabbis were guests for dinner, neighbors were free to wander into the host’s courtyard to listen to the rabbi’s pearls of wisdom, which is how the “sinful woman” must’ve entered Simon’s home.

Her intention was to pour expensive perfume over the feet of Jesus; foot washing was a customary act of welcome into a person’s home – and by extension, into their heart. But before she could break her bottle open, tears gushed forth from her eyes.

She was a woman who needed God’s forgiveness… and knew it. Likely a prostitute, her identity is revealed by the flowing of her hair. 

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It was considered immodest for a woman to wear her hair down in public.

The fact that this woman did not only meant she wasn’t concerned with social customs; it also meant the only person in her sight was Jesus, as if the two of them were alone.

There, weeping on her knees tenderly washing the feet of our Lord, she represents the soul of a humble Christian – any person who recognizes the truth that we’re all beggars before God’s throne.

Simon the Pharisee, on the other hand, receives no forgiveness – not because he doesn’t need it, but because he doesn’t realize he needs it. In his mind, he’s a virtuous gentleman, both before God and man.

Yet he lacked the courtesy to offer Jesus a basic welcome upon entrance into his home.

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So, what might this story mean for us?

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Instead of lobbing judgment at others – as Simon the Pharisee did to this woman – may we see something of her in ourselves, recognizing we’re all in need of God’s mercy. God, in turn, offers that pardon to all who genuinely seek it.

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Image credits: (1) St. John the Baptist, Catholic Church, Facebook (2) Pinterest (3) ResponsiveReading, WordPress

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1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13

Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, love is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

The Word of the Lord.

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We just heard some of the most famous words ever written in the New Testament: Saint Paul’s words on love. They’re often read at weddings, as couples promise to treat each other accordingly. 

As a matter of fact, a couple stood before this very altar on Saturday as the bride’s mother read Paul’s words during Mass on their behalf. 

I’ve even celebrated funerals in which a person’s family looks back gratefully over their loved one’s life, saying, “That was her. We experienced such love firsthand.”

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But who was Paul thinking about while writing this Letter to the Corinthians? Was he being a lofty dreamer? A hopeless romantic? 

Or was there someone Paul knew who embodied all of these traits?

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Paul must’ve been thinking about his Savior, Jesus Christ, who hung on the cross for him… and us.

While nailed to that tree, hanging in between two thieves, Jesus fulfilled every word Paul says about love.

(Those at Mass this morning can) gaze upon the crucifix suspended behind me – a life-size, almost precise depiction of our Lord’s sacrifice. As I re-read Paul’s words on love, see how Jesus fulfills them during those final moments of his life.

“Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth..

…It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

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May Christ’s love, which has been poured into our hearts at baptism, make us more and more like him, “who first loved us and gave himself for us.”

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Image credits: (1) Facebook (2) Medium (3) Christ Crucified, Velazquez