Saint Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, bishop, martyrs.
H. Erick Flores, LC.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ, our King, Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Lord, thank you for giving me this opportunity. Thank you for entrusting me with life, purpose, and the desire to find you. I ask that your Spirit fill my heart. Amen.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the holy Gospel according to Luke 7:36-50
At that time, a Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him. Jesus went to the Pharisee's house and sat down at the table. A sinful woman from that city, when she learned that Jesus was going to eat that day at the Pharisee's house, took an alabaster jar of perfume with her, went and stood behind Jesus, and began to weep, and with her tears she bathed his feet, wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume.
Seeing this, the Pharisee who had invited him began to think, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him – that she is a sinner.”.
Then Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” The Pharisee replied, “Tell me, teacher.” He said, “Two men owed money to a moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other, fifty. Since they had no way to pay him, he forgone the debt of both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon answered him, “I suppose the one to whom he forgave more.”.
Then Jesus said to him, “You have judged correctly.” And turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”.
The guests began to ask themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
This is a Gospel passage that is fitting to see how men and women manifest different forms or sensitivities when encountering the Master. Following the order, it would first be appropriate to speak of the ladies. Christ gives her his time to weep, so that with her beautiful hair she could clean his feet, prepare them to be kissed, and apply the contents of the jar; this being something considered for use by the rich, the sinner invested her earnings in something she would pour over the feet of a poor man from Nazareth.
Perhaps it got late, perhaps she cleaned and perfumed Jesus' feet during meal times because the woman performed a whole ritual in someone else's house. Nothing out of the ordinary for the experience of many women who show kindness to the Master. It is what many do today in the Church with their creativity, dedication, and many loving details. Even today, women who decide to consecrate themselves to God in body and soul are still needed, but few dare to.
On the other hand, we see the man who doesn't do much. What is most striking is how God pricks the pride of his host. Knowing that the Pharisee has been following him for a while, he still throws some indirect remarks at him. With men, in general, the Gospel shows us that Christ is somewhat crude. Therefore, between Christ and man, if it becomes difficult to deal with, it's because he educates in diverse ways.
In both cases, it shows us that he always wants to bring out the best in ourselves.
«Thus there are two very different attitudes: on the one hand, that of the man who sees and categorizes, judges; and on the other, that of the woman who weeps and does things that seem like madness, because she uses an expensive, costly perfume. The Gospel does use the word “anointing” to signify that the woman's perfume anoints: it has the capacity to be an anointing, unlike the Pharisee's words which do not reach the heart, do not reach reality. Between these two antithetical figures stands Jesus, with His patience, His love, His desire to save all, which leads Him to explain to the Pharisee what this woman is doing and to reproach him, albeit with humility and tenderness, for not having shown Him courtesy. The Pope also pointed out that the Gospel does not say how the story ended for this man, but clearly states how it ended for the woman: “Your sins are forgiven.”» (Homily by H.H. Francis, September 18, 2014).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Thank God and others for the food received.
Farewell
We thank you, Lord, for all your benefits, you who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
