St. Robert Bellarmine, bishop & doctor 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

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; (……) 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.

 

Ps 118:1b-2, 16ab-17, 28

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

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 on the sofa 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 a precious jar of perfume and stood behind him at his feet, weeping. She wet his feet with tears, she dried them with her hair and 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 sitting 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.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

The Pharisee hosting Jesus does not blame the woman for her intimate expressions. Everyone knows the woman and her profession. Nothing is then surprising in the woman’s acts, which the host reads as indecent seduction.

What surprises the Pharisee is Jesus’ toleration and appreciation of the woman. His regard for Jesus, as prophet and man of God, collapses as Jesus falls prey to the lure of perfume and hair.

Here lies the big difference: the Pharisee pays more attention to the perfume and hair. Jesus pays more attention to the tears. He sees remorse and longing for renewal.

The Pharisee reads the woman’s gesture as seduction; Jesus reads it as begging for God’s forgiveness and love. Jesus digs deep into motivations far more than actions. That is the mark of a real prophet – reading people according to how God reads them, that is, through the heart.