The 19th --- Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year "C"

2 Samuel 12 : 7-10, 13

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'

¹³ Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die

Galatians 2 : 16, 19-21

¹⁶know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

¹⁹For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"^d]">[d]
Footnotes:

1. Galatians 2:21 Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 14.

Luke 7: 36 - 8: 3

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

³⁶Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. ³⁷When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

⁴⁰Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.

⁴¹"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^d]">[d] and the other fifty. ⁴²Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

⁴³Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

⁴⁴Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

⁴⁸Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

[d]Luke 7:41 A denarius was a coin worth about a day's wages.

Luke 8

The Parable of the Sower

¹After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, ²and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ³Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

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June 13th, Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year "C"
- from Novalis Sunday Missal

Simon the Pharisee suspects Jesus is not a prophet because he welcomes the attentions of a well-known prostitute.

And Jesus question seems ridiculous. " Do you see this woman?" he asks. Of course Simon sees her! This is a respectable dinner party and she is making an embarrassing spectacle of herself. She is weeping all over Jesus' feet and wiping them with her hair! Simon sees her reputation and behaviour very clearly. But Jesus sees past that. He sees that God has forgiven her a lot.

As usual, Jesus turns our expectations inside out. The more generous or socially committed or respectable I am, the harder it is to see that God's love for me is completely undeserved. There's still a sliver of suspicion that I can win it. But until I abandon this, I am not living out of my true identity as the beloved of God.

How does a prostitute understand love? Surely the word fills her with bitter cynicism. Yet this woman displays ecstatic love for Jesus. Understanding only too well her own need for forgiveness, she must have had an experience of God's love that touched a deeper part of herself than her shame and bitterness. This is what Jesus sees: that the woman has found her true identity and this releases her, a prostitute, to love with abandon, not counting the cost.

Louisa Blair, Quebec, QC

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Tears of Transformation
from the Sunday Bulletin of St. Michael Parish, Oakville

Usually tears are not something anyone thinks of as a reason to laugh. Doctors say that tears can release anxiety and be healing to our body and spirit. But most of the time, we try to hide our tears, because in so-called civilized culture, we find tears messy, embarrassing, and maybe a sign of weakness. Shouldn't be that easy! And the one thing that separates us from God is being foolishly self-sufficient -- instead of realizing our need. When we are judgmental and suspicious like Simon, we end up being too righteous to accept God's forgiveness, and too proud to celebrate God's love as it really is.

Because God doesn't love like the Pharisees -- only following very precise guidelines and rules. Can't you see God laughing at the very idea? Ludicrous! No, God is always overflowing and creating a glorious mess, the way an abundance of wine can overflow the cup . . . the way tears and sobs of relief can overflow us, when we realize how deeply we are loved, no matter what we have done in our past. "God loves the person, and forgives the sin. Forgiveness means God is present. This prayer was found in a concentration camp in World War II : " O Lord, remember not only the men and women of goodwill, but those of ill-will. Do not remember all the sufferings they inflicted on us; remember the fruits we have borne thanks to this suffering -- our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility . . . our generosity, our greatness of heart. And when they come to judgment, let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness. "

Go in peace to love and serve our God.

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May we all be fully aware of our sinful nature, only so that we may truly know God's generous love and in turn love one another with abandon, not counting the cost .

ps. this is essential to marriage - I had to get the plug in .