SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Thursday - September 16, 2021

Thursday - September 16, 2021

My little children, your hearts, are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God. Through prayer we receive a foretaste of heaven and something of paradise comes down upon us. Prayer never leaves us without sweetness. It is honey that flows into the souls and makes all things sweet. When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun.

--Saint John Vianney

September 16, 2021

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Saint Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Lectionary: 446

Reading 1                                                     1 Tm 4:12-16

Beloved:

Let no one have contempt for your youth,

but set an example for those who believe,

in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching.

Do not neglect the gift you have,

which was conferred on you through the prophetic word

with the imposition of hands by the presbyterate.

Be diligent in these matters, be absorbed in them,

so that your progress may be evident to everyone.

Attend to yourself and to your teaching;

persevere in both tasks,

for by doing so you will save

both yourself and those who listen to you.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              111:7-8, 9, 10

 

R.    (2) How great are the works of the Lord!

 

The works of his hands are faithful and just;

    sure are all his precepts,

Reliable forever and ever,

    wrought in truth and equity.

R.    How great are the works of the Lord!

He has sent deliverance to his people;

    he has ratified his covenant forever;

    holy and awesome is his name.

R.    How great are the works of the Lord!

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

    prudent are all who live by it.

    His praise endures forever.

R.    How great are the works of the Lord!

 

Alleluia                                                                     

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Lk 7:36-50

 

A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,

and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

Now there was a sinful woman in the city

who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.

Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,

she stood behind him at his feet weeping

and began to bathe his feet with her tears.

Then she wiped them with her hair,

kissed them, 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 and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,

that she is a sinner.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“Simon, I have something to say to you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;

one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.

Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.

Which of them will love him more?”

Simon said in reply,

“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”

He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,

“Do you see this woman?

When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,

but she has bathed them with her tears

and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss,

but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.

You did not anoint my head with oil,

but she anointed my feet with ointment.

So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;

hence, she has shown great love.

But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The others at table said to themselves,

“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

But he said to the woman,

“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

 

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How Love Gains Us Victory Over Sin

Have you ever thought about how sins are forgiven? Jesus took our sins to the cross -- they died with him there. But is that the whole "how" of it? No. As our first reading today points out, we have to bring ourselves to this salvation. And how does that happen?

 

It's more than just saying, "I'm sorry." It's more than going to confession and doing the penance that the priest assigns. It's too easy to say "sorry" and then commit the sin again. It's easy to say, "Oops, I shouldn't have done that" without truly repenting -- i.e., without changing how we react to the challenges in life that caused us to sin in the first place.

 

Jesus explains in our first Gospel reading today why the woman's (or anyone's) many sins are forgiven: "because of her great love."

 

Love is what prevents us from sinning. Any of us who genuinely want to be loving but sin anyway are usually unaware, at the moment of decision, that our behavior is hurting anyone. We don't sin out of deliberate malice. If we truly love, then we truly care and as soon as we discover that we've caused pain, we're motivated by love to heal the damage as best as we can (unless we love our pride more than we love those who were hurt by our sin).

 

If we truly love, when others sin against us, our love for them motivates us to give them the benefit of the doubt: We assume that they didn't really, deliberately intend to hurt us. Malice was not their motive any more than it's ours. They were reacting to something internal that needs healing, perhaps, or they made a poor decision based on ignorance or short-sightedness or distraction. Realizing this makes it easier to forgive them. We can pray with our Lord on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they don't understand what they're doing."

 

I'm not excusing sin. God holds everyone accountable for their behavior. We are all capable of paying attention to what we're doing and discerning whether or not it's motivated by love. With God's help, we can stop reacting sinfully to the stimuli around us, and we can choose to act in love. We can learn from our mistakes, overcome our ignorance, look beyond our self-centered little worlds, and prevent distractions from deafening our consciences.

 

When we make love our highest priority, temptation has less and less power over us, because caring about others distracts us from the decision to sin. And when the love that we have for others makes us regret the sins we do commit, we are healed, our sins are forgiven, and we're much less likely to make the same bad decisions in the future. Furthermore, the Sacrament of Reconciliation empowers us to remain in love by a special grace from God.

 

When we love, our faith has become our salvation. As it was for the woman in the Gospel, Jesus says to us: "Now you can go in peace."

 

Today's Prayer

 

Praised be You, Lord, because Your love forgives a whole past in a moment. Teach me how to forgive, as You have forgiven me. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”