Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord. MT 11:28
1 TIMOTHY 4:12-16
My Soul's Beloved,
The lives of so many young people, some really young like Carlo Acutis, are a reminder to all of us of every age that it is possible to live a vibrant spiritual life that is filled with a life of grace of the Holy Spirit. It is a magnet that draws souls to You. God chooses and uses anyone willing to say yes to Your call. To every soul, at some point in our lives, You say, 'Follow Me.' Sadly, too many of us in our youth stifle that voice and allow the cacophony of the sounds and the allure of the bright lights of the world to beguile us. But You never give up. Thank You, Lord, for not giving up on me.
Timothy is a young man whose heart has been captured for You. St. Paul, writing to Timothy, gives him good, wise, fatherly advice, and all that Paul says to Timothy applies to every Christian who takes their faith seriously. We were not created for the world, Beloved, God, our Father, created us for You - to give You glory, honor, worship, and to make known to the whole world what You, the only Son of the Living God, have done for the whole human race. Help us never forget that we are called to be witnesses to the Truth, Life, Beauty, Goodness, and to love always as You have loved us.
Do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity. Make use of the time until I arrive by reading to the people, preaching and teaching. You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on you; do not let it lie unused. Think hard about all this, and put it into practice, and everyone will be able to see how you are advancing. Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.
PSALM 110(111):7-10
Great are the works of the Lord.
His works are justice and truth,
his precepts are all of them sure,
standing firm for ever and ever;
they are made in uprightness and truth.
He has sent deliverance to his people
and established his covenant for ever.
Holy his name, to be feared.
To fear the Lord is the first stage of wisdom;
all who do so prove themselves wise.
His praise shall last for ever!
Great are the works of the Lord.
LUKE 7:36-50
LUKE 7:36-50
My Soul's Beloved,
The parables of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan are a master class in the wonder of God's love and the tender compassion always shown to the sinner. Today, we have a real-life demonstration of how You, God incarnate, see us and how You relate to us, which is in stark contradiction to how we, priggish and self-righteous human beings with a holier-than-thou attitude, treat those perceived as sinners, and harshly judge, condemn, and ostracize them.
All that Simon the Pharisee, who had invited You as one of the guests for a meal at his house, saw was a prostitute, a fallen woman, a public sinner. He judged and condemned her for her reputation and the public perception of who she was. Not You, Lord. You saw her heart, and that heart was broken with sorrow and contrition for her sins, many though they were. This whole beautiful scene is recorded by St. Luke with stunning clarity and pathos just as it occurred. We can imagine the entire dramatic scene as it unfolds. So much is learned from this unnamed woman who silently but eloquently demonstrates for all time how we are to approach God when we have sinned, sinned with impunity, and sinned grievously. She does all this without uttering a single word, and yet has inspired generation after generation to come to a deeper and greater authentic understanding of the love, goodness, compassion, and tender mercy of God.
Reading Simon's mind and his harsh judgment and condemnation of the woman, based on only what was externally visible, You revealed his secret, dismissive thoughts about You to those around the table, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that is touching him and what a bad name she has.’ Then You drew the attention of everyone present to the woman, and to each of her actions as she wept in sorrow for her sins and wanted nothing more than to be forgiven.
The breaking of the alabaster jar was symbolic of her broken heart, and the expensive perfume that she poured over Your feet was symbolic of her contrition, and the fragrance that filled the room was Your absolute and complete forgiveness of all her sins, because as You stated, she had loved much.
You then compared each of her loving actions to You with Your host's, and You shamed him publicly for his lack of displaying the most common courtesies that are normally shown to a guest. ‘Simon, you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.’
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, when I sin, I desire to approach You as simply and boldly as this woman did, be as vulnerable as she was before You, exposing myself with no attempt to hide who I was, and what I had done, and having done so, receive a superabundance of Your blessings, healing, peace, and complete restoration into You and Your Church.
One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses 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 this woman is that is touching him and what a bad name she has.’ Then Jesus took him up and said, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Speak, Master’ was the reply. ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he pardoned them both. Which of them will love him more?’ ‘The one who was pardoned more, I suppose’ answered Simon. Jesus said, ‘You are right.’
Then he turned to the woman. ‘Simon,’ he said ‘you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the man who is forgiven little who shows little love.’ Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Those who were with him at table began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man, that he even forgives sins?’ But he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that is touching him and what a bad name she has.’ Then Jesus took him up and said, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Speak, Master’ was the reply. ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he pardoned them both. Which of them will love him more?’ ‘The one who was pardoned more, I suppose’ answered Simon. Jesus said, ‘You are right.’
Then he turned to the woman. ‘Simon,’ he said ‘you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the man who is forgiven little who shows little love.’ Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Those who were with him at table began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man, that he even forgives sins?’ But he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’
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