HOMILY FOR THURSDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B
{1 Corinthians 15:1-11;Luke 7:36-50}
Today's Gospel celebrates the gift of God’s forgiveness. Our God is a God Who always tries, not to punish, but to rehabilitate, so that we may be made whole and experience inner peace and harmony. The sinner at the feet of Jesus: The Gospel story tells of a woman of the streets who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and perfumes them with costly oil. In sharp contrast, the host, Simon the Pharisee, has purposely omitted these Jewish customs of welcoming a guest. When one invited a Rabbi to one’s house, it was normal to place one’s hand on his shoulder and give him the kiss of peace, to bathe his feet (Palestine is a very dusty country), and to burn a grain of incense or put a drop of attar of roses on his head. Jesus contrasts Simon’s rudeness with the prostitute’s public expression of repentance, and says that the repentant woman’s sins are forgiven because “she has loved much.” By telling the short parable of the two debtors, Christ teaches us two things–His own Divinity and His power to forgive sins. The parable also shows the merit the woman’s love deserves and underlines the discourtesy implied in Simeon’s neglecting to receive Jesus in the conventional way.
Dear brothers and sisters, the question is how often do we we accept or reject the mercy of God? We are challenged to accept the mercy of God. Remember what Jesus says, anyone who receives more of Gods forgiveness should love more. We often share Simon’s mentality by displaying an attitude of lovelessness and harshness toward those around us. We need to love Jesus because Jesus is the one and only Savior who has died for our sins.
2) We need to be grateful to our forgiving God: Our serious attempts to avoid the near occasions of sin will be both the proof of our sincere repentance and the expression of our gratitude to the merciful God who has forgiven our sins.
3) We need to cultivate a forgiving attitude towards our neighbor: Although it is not easy, we must learn to forgive those who hurt us if we want to be able to receive the daily forgiveness we need from a merciful God
PAX VOBIS
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,
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