Daily Readings - Thu Sep 20 2018
1 Corinthians
1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Luke
36One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.37And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,38and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."40And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."41"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.42When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"43Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."44Then 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 wiped them with her hair.45You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.46You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.47Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."48And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."49Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"50And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful reflections on God’s grace and forgiveness. The first reading from 1 Corinthians reminds us of the core of the Gospel: Christ’s death and resurrection for our sins. Paul humbly acknowledges his unworthiness as an Apostle, yet he recognizes that it is solely by God’s grace that he has become a vessel for spreading the Good News. The Gospel from Luke presents a vivid contrast between the Pharisee and the sinful woman. While the Pharisee judges the woman’s past, Jesus reveals the depth of her love and the greatness of her forgiveness. He teaches that those who are forgiven much, love much, while those forgiven little, love little.
These readings are deeply connected. Paul’s emphasis on the resurrection underscores the ultimate act of God’s love and forgiveness, while the Gospel story illustrates how that forgiveness transforms lives. The woman’s extravagant love for Jesus is a response to the immense mercy she has received. Similarly, Paul’s zeal for preaching the Gospel flows from his own experience of grace, despite his past as a persecutor of the Church. Both readings call us to reflect on how we respond to God’s forgiveness in our own lives.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Do we truly recognize the depth of God’s forgiveness in our own lives? Do we allow that forgiveness to transform us, to move us to love and serve others with the same extravagance as the sinful woman? Let us not be like the Pharisee, who focused on judgment rather than mercy. Instead, let us embrace the grace of God with humility and gratitude, and let that grace flow through us in acts of love and compassion. The moral of these readings is clear: God’s grace is abundant, and our response should be a life of love, rooted in the knowledge of how much we have been forgiven.