Daily Liturgy
Thursday September 16
TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
FORGIVING ENCOUNTER
Introduction
In antiquity, maturity was supposed to come not earlier than the age of fifty. Timothy must have been about thirty only when Paul wrote his first letter to him. Paul advises him to develop the charisma he had received at his ordination, through the imposition of hands.
A woman with a bad reputation, which she apparently deserved, comes to Jesus and shows in a rather extravagant way that something in her cries out for a purer kind of love than she had experienced in life. Her encounter with Jesus in faith and love led to forgiveness, to the scandal of the good practicing people. For us too, Jesus’ encounter with us is always forgiving.
Opening Prayer
Patient and loving Father,
you sent Jesus your Son among us
to heal what is broken and wounded.
He touched us with his goodness
and did not break the crushed reed.
Forgive us our sins,
let your Spirit continue in us
the work of conversion
and make us patient and understanding
with those who love us and those who fail us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Reading 1: 1 Tm 4:12-16
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: Ps 111:7-8, 9, 10
(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: Mt 11:28
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: Lk 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.”
Intercessions
– That the community of God’s people may be a source of peace, of forgiveness and reconciliation, of new opportunities for tomorrow, we pray:
– That we may be gentle in our judgment of others, aware that every day anew we too are we in need of forgiveness, we pray:
– That in our families and communities we may be attentive to the good that is done and not be discouraged by each other’s shortcomings, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Our God and Father,
you have invited us to encounter your Son
and to offer with him the sacrifice
that forgives our sins.
Dispose us to forgive others
as you forgive us
and to share at the table of your Son
the bread of unity and reconciliation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Merciful Father
in this eucharist your Son Jesus said to us too:
your sins are forgiven
and he ate with us the meal
that brings reconciliation.
May all this deepen our love for you
and dispose us to extend a hand of peace
to all those who have hurt us
and to those we have wounded.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Blessing
The words of Jesus have been spoken to us too, “Your sins are forgiven.” May it be said of us too that we show great love, both of God and of people. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Timothy is reminded today to stir up the grace of God that he received at the inauguration of his ministry. It is excellent advice. We have all experienced the outpouring of God’s love at various sacramental moments of our life. That initial experience is kept alive through renewal and rededication. It’s not sufficient to put it on “automatic pilot”; we need moments of conscious reengagement.
Because the sinful woman of Luke’s Gospel had experienced such profound forgiveness, her gratitude was unbounded. “Her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love.” The woman was not embarrassed; she does not hesitate to show her gratitude, even in a public setting. Her faith was great in Jesus, who was able to forgive her sins.
One of the reasons why the woman’s conduct seems so incongruous today is that we in many cases have lost the sense of sin. Reconciliation of a sinner with God is one of the most touching aspects of ministry. There is such a sense of relief as a huge burden is lifted.
We need forgiveness. We have received it at various times in our lives. Christ’s consoling words have reached us as well. Your sins are forgiven. God holds no grudges and does not demand an accounting. It is simply a “Welcome home.” With the psalmist today, we can rejoice in the greatness of the Lord’s works.
Points to Ponder
Renewing our faith commitment
Gratitude for sins forgiven
Retaining a sense of sin.