Monday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Luke 7:1-10

After he had finished the Sermon on the Plain (although we do not necessarily have to think it represents teachings all given at one time), Jesus went into Capernaum, the base from which he operated when in Galilee. Almost immediately, he is met with a request for healing, but this one is somewhat different. It will set the stage for developments which will take place and be described later in the Acts of the Apostles (also written by Luke).

The story concerns the slave of a centurion. A centurion was an army officer with—as his rank indicates—one hundred men under him. He was presumably attached to the Roman garrison in the town or one of Herod Antipas’ forces. The Roman military, in general, had a reputation for cruelty and brutality. However, those mentioned in the Gospel do not appear in a bad light. This is a good example of the danger of stereotyping any group of people—something we are all very easily prone to do.

He was not necessarily a Roman, but he was certainly not a Jew. He was a gentile outsider. His slave, who was very dear to him, had fallen seriously ill. This, in turn, implies he treated his slave well. Undoubtedly, he had heard the stories of what Jesus had done by way of healing and wondered if his slave could also be helped.

However, as an outsider he did not dare to approach Jesus personally. He sent a delegation consisting of Jewish town elders. These are not the ‘elders’ mentioned during Jesus’ passion,but simply respected members of the local Jewish community. In Matthew’s account, the centurion approaches Jesus himself. Luke, in having him go through influential Jewish friends, makes it sound more plausible.

They apparently were only too willing to help because they said he was very friendly to the Jews and had even built a synagogue for them. The stage is being set for the story of Cornelius, also a soldier and the first gentile Christian, in the Acts of the Apostles (see Acts 10:1).

While Jesus was on his way to the house, the centurion immediately sent word that it was not necessary for Jesus to come personally. As a friend of Jews, he knew that a devout Jew, and especially a rabbi, could not enter the house of a Gentile. He did not want to be a source of embarrassment for Jesus.

The centurion said:

I am not worthy to have you come under my roof…

We now use these words every time we prepare to approach the table of the Eucharist—just as the centurion felt unworthy to be approached by Jesus. He knew that Jesus had only to say a word and his slave would be made whole again.

The centurion recognised the very special authority that Jesus had, an authority, in some respects, not unlike his own as an army officer:

…I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.

Jesus is “amazed” at the man’s faith, saying:

I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.

Only twice in the Gospel is Jesus described as being amazed. In this reading, it is caused by the faith of a Gentile; the other time was when Jesus experienced the unbelief of his townspeople in Nazareth (Mark 6:6).

When the delegation returned to the centurion’s house, they found that the slave was totally well again.

What strikes one so strongly in this story is the character of the centurion who contradicted every stereotype of the Roman soldier which the average person in Palestine would have had. He is kind and caring of his slave. He has contributed to the building of the local synagogue. He is extremely sensitive to Jewish customs and does not embarrass Jesus by approaching him directly. And, when Jesus offers to go to his house, he says that it is not necessary. He knows that Jesus, as a Jew, would become unclean by entering a gentile house. He is a good example how wrong we can be in generalising about certain kinds or classes of people.

He also clearly illustrates how a Gentile could be, as the early Church only gradually discovered, a worthy person to belong to the Christian community. In fact, this story prepares the way for Luke’s later account of the centurion, Cornelius, being received as the first gentile member of the Christian community (see Acts chap 10).

The key factor, of course, in this healing story is the faith of the Gentile, a faith which Jesus said he had never encountered even among many of his own people. Beginning with Cornelius, this experience will be repeated in the early Church as the first Christians, all Jews, begin to realise that the Gentiles too are being called to follow Christ and that their Spirit-filled faith can be as strong as that of any of them.

For us today it is a reminder that Jesus can reveal himself to the most unlikely persons and that we must never presume that a person is unfit for the Christian life based on past behaviour or any other characteristics. God can, and does call anyone. Let us, too, follow the example of the centurion in our confidence in God’s healing power in our lives.

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Monday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on 1 Timothy 2:1-8

Paul continues his advice to his young colleague and companion, Timothy. Today he urges that prayers of petition, intercession and thanksgiving be made for people everywhere, but especially for those in authority and government.

According to the New American Bible:

“This marked insistence that the liturgical prayer of the community concern itself with the needs of all, whether Christian or not, and especially of those in authority, may imply that a disposition existed at Ephesus to refuse prayer for pagans. In actuality, such prayer aids the community to achieve peaceful relationships with non-Christians (v 2) and contributes to their salvation, since it derives its value from the presence within the community of Christ who is the one and only Saviour of all (vv 3-6). The vital apostolic mission to the Gentiles concerning Christ’s purpose of the universal salvation should be reflected in the prayer of the community (v 7) which should be unmarred by internal dissension (v 8; see Matt 5:23)”.

Paul urges Timothy that:

…supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone…

He includes kings and others in authority, so that the Christians may be able to:

…lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.

Although it looks like a very ordinary prayer, the end may reflect some apprehensions about future developments.

Anyone who reads the Acts of the Apostles knows just how much trouble the Christians experienced at the hands of civil and religious authorities. But it is possible that the words were written when the madman Nero was emperor. He would unleash a ferocious attack on the Christians. And both Peter and Paul were to lose their lives as martyrs under this crazed ruler.

But rather than subject rulers to abuse or retaliatory action, Paul urges that prayers be said for them. Paul’s teaching is also in line with the advice that we saw from Jesus in a recent Gospel reading about loving those who hate and persecute us and to pray for them (see Matt 5:43-48).

At the same time, Paul believed that generally legal authorities should be obeyed and respected. He told the Romans:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval, for it is God’s agent for your good. (Rom 13:1-4)

Sometimes, of course, doing “what is good” may mean not obeying an authority and calling for civil disobedience.

Paul tells Timothy to pray with all ‘godliness’. ‘Godliness’, together with ‘godly’, is a key word in the Pastoral Letters and occurs eight times in this Letter, once in 2 Timothy and once in Titus, but nowhere else in the writings of Paul. It implies a good and holy life, with special emphasis on its Source, a deep reverence for God.

To pray in this way is right and acceptable to God our Saviour, who wants every person to be saved and reach the full knowledge of truth. The two elements here are really complementary, two sides of the same coin. To be ‘saved’ is to become the whole person that God wants one to be, and central to that wholeness is the grasp and acceptance of what is fully true. The Way of Jesus is a way to wholeness and the Way of Jesus is Truth and Life. But wholeness and truth are never fully in our grasp. To get there is the goal of our whole lifespan.

That God wants all to experience this wholeness, sometimes referred to as ‘salvation’ or ‘redemption’, is surely the only satisfactory meaning that can be given to the death of Jesus, who died for every single person. It helps to counteract the ‘selective salvation’ of some who claim that God has decided whom he will save and who will be rejected. These people appeal to words of Paul in the Letter to the Romans:

So then he has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses….Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use?
(Rom 9:18,21)

This is not at all to say that God predestines us to salvation or damnation, but only that some by their behaviour call out the mercy of God and others bring about their rejection by their behaviour. God wants all to be saved, but no one is forced to accept salvation. It is a gift and a grace offered to all, but not necessarily accepted by all.

Because, as Paul continues:

For there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
who gave himself as a ransom for all…

That there is only one God is the basic belief of Judaism, confessed every day by devout Jews in the Shema prayer (Deut 6:4). The Greek word for ‘ransom’ (antilutron) was used most commonly to describe the price paid to redeem a slave. Similarly, Christ paid the ransom price of his own life to free us from the slavery of sin. This was the greatest love that a person can show, and:

…this was attested at the right time.

By his willingness to die for the whole human race, Christ showed the human race that God wanted everybody to be saved. He was the Father’s ‘witness’ all through his life to the love of God for all of us, but never so supremely as at the moment of his dying on the cross. The Greek word for ‘witness’ is the same as for ‘martyr’ (martus). Jesus is the Supreme Witness, the Supreme Martyr.

Now Paul has been appointed “herald and apostle” of this great message from God made in and through Jesus, and has become a teacher to the Gentiles “in faith and in truth”. A herald is one given the authority to make an important public proclamation. In his book, Models of the Church, then Father (ultimately Cardinal) Avery Dulles SJ lists one of the models as “Church as Herald”. The mission of Paul has been passed on to all of us baptised. It is something we have to do both collectively and individually. And what Paul has been called on to testify is that, through his death, Christ has bridged the gap between God and humanity and made salvation available to every person.

Finally, Paul tells them that he desires:

…that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.

He asks that they lift up their hands reverently in prayer, with no anger or feuding. A feuding community does not provide a conducive environment for prayer.

The next verses of the letter will not be read in our liturgy. They deal with the very submissive role that Paul says women are supposed to accept in the prayer assembly. Thankfully, we have made some progress in this area, but we are not the whole way there yet for full recognition and integration.

So, the reading is telling us that the true Christian spirit is not to rid the world of those who are the enemies of Christianity. When we pray, it is not to ask God to punish or destroy our enemies (as was sometimes done in the Old Testament), but rather to pray that they may change and see things differently, i.e. see things in God’s way, and become faithful to truth, love and justice.

We, as Christians, are bold enough to think that in the message of Jesus, we are on the path of truth, and the lived experience of the Christian life, especially that of the saints, bears it out. This was what motivated Paul to be:

…a herald and an apostle.

We, too, are called to the same task.

Let us remember too, not just during Mass, but very regularly to pray for others, especially those whom we see as a source of trouble in our lives, people we do not like and who do not like us, people who seem to ‘have it in for us’—difficult superiors or relatives or work colleagues.

Praying in all sincerity that God will shower them with his love, his grace and blessings can really bring about a change in them. This has been attested to again and again.

Even more importantly, it changes us. It is difficult to hate a person you are continually praying for. It helps to dissipate anger and brings a special kind of peace. It changes the way we relate to them. And it is a relatively easy thing to do. Try it!

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Saturday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on 1 Timothy 6:13-16

Today we have our last reading from this letter. It is an appeal for Timothy to consecrate his life totally to God and Jesus Christ, in the way that Jesus proclaimed his messianic mission before Pilate—truly a model for us to follow. The reading is actually an immediate continuation from yesterday’s reading.

As the Letter comes to an end, Timothy is once more reminded by Paul:

…to keep the commandment without spot or blame…

Paul makes his statement solemnly:

In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession…

It was in the presence of Pilate that Jesus declared his royal messiahship-kingship and his office as revealer of Truth. He said to Pilate:

My kingdom does not belong to this world…Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. (John 18:36-37)

The mention of Pontius Pilate, as a public official, lends strength to the official tone of the witness. This is an example for Christians to follow, whether making a profession of faith at our Baptism or when faced with persecution. It is easy to make professions of faith in private.

In the last part of the reading, Paul’s charge to Timothy is presented as a doxology in praise of Christ, the Christ of the Second Coming. It may be inspired by a liturgical hymn and consists of scriptural phrases transposed into Hellenic language, the themes being that God is the only object of worship and no one may claim to fully understand the mystery that is God. Timothy is to:

…keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which he will bring about at the right time—
he who is the blessed and only Sovereign,
the King of kings and Lord of lords.
It is he alone who has immortality
and dwells in unapproachable light,
whom no one has ever seen or can see;
to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

“…at the right time…”—just as Jesus’ first coming occurred at the precise time God wanted (see Gal 4:4), so also his Second Coming will be at God’s appointed time.

Those who know their Handel will remember the Hallelujah chorus which sings majestically of the “King of kings and Lord of lords”. This phrase also appears in Revelation 19:16.

The phrase “…no one has ever seen or can see…” echos the statement in John’s Gospel:

No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. (John 1:18)

Let us today also renew our total commitment to the King of kings and Lord of lords and work for the day when we will be invited to live with him in that now unapproachable light. We could do worse than follow some of the advice that Paul gives to Timothy in this Letter, especially if we have any pastoral responsibilities in our community.

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Saturday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Luke 8:4-15

In yesterday’s reading, we saw that Jesus was going around preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, accompanied by his twelve chosen disciples and a number of women who supported the work. Jesus, we are told, is surrounded by people who have come from every nearby city. There is an intimation of universality, ‘catholicism’, about the message he is going to give.

We are given an example of some of the teaching that he was giving them. It takes the form of a parable, the well-known parable of the sower. As in Matthew’s version, the parable is told in two stages. The first is the parable itself. The emphasis is on the sower sowing. He scatters the seed all over—as Jesus is now doing with the people. Some of it falls on the path, some on rocks, some among brambles and some on good soil.

It describes a typical situation in Palestine at the time. The field was largely a public place, at least while it was fallow. So there were paths meandering across it where people took short cuts. The land was not very fertile so there were pieces of rock jutting out of the soil. In the fallow season, it was not looked after and wild plants like brambles grew up. Also, unlike other farming cultures, the sowing took place before the ploughing.

The central message is that, even though some of the seed that the sower plants will wither and die, there is some which will find fertile soil and flourish. So it is with the Word of God and the Word of Jesus. It is a message of confidence and hope for the future of the Kingdom. In the Gospel, it is Jesus’ disciples who are the fertile soil.

As he finished the parable Jesus called out to all, inviting them to hear. He did not mean that they just physically hear. They are meant to listen carefully, to assimilate fully and to implement effectively all that he says. He is the Sower, the seed is the Word, those spoken to are the soil.

Clear as it is, the disciples ask for an explanation of the parable. Jesus tells them that the inner secrets of the Kingdom are for them. Why this privilege? Because they are disciples, because they are followers and because they are ready to listen. The rest hear in parables and only in parables: seeing, they do not see; hearing, they do not understand. They do not really want to see or hear because, as the Gospel says elsewhere:

…they may indeed look but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven. (Mark 4:12)

In other words, if they were to see and understand, they would have to turn their lives around and they are not ready for that. The disciples are those who have done just that; they have left their boats, their nets and their families, their security and gone with Jesus. That is what seeing and hearing means.

Then follows the explanation which really carries the original parable further than its simple message. In fact, it becomes more like an allegory where each part has a meaning of its own rather than the one point that a parable normally makes. And, whereas in the parable the emphasis was on the sower, here the emphasis is very much on the soil which receives the seed. Each example is made to represent a particular way in which the message is received or not.

The seed that falls on the path is like those who hear the word, but it is snatched away from them before they have even a chance to respond. The overwhelming pagan world around them was just too strong an attraction.

The seed that falls on the rock where there may be some moisture in the crevices is like those who hear the word with great enthusiasm and “joy” (a favourite Lucan term). But they are not able to put down any long-lasting roots and, at the first hint of opposition or temptation, they fall away. They represent the many early Christians who must have given up under the pressures of persecution.

The seed that falls among the brambles represents those who do hear and accept the word. But gradually the pressure of the secular world and its values is too much. They try to live in both worlds at once, but are gradually choked up with concerns about money and material and social wants and the pursuit of pleasure. Eventually, the word dies in them. Many Christians today could identify with this group.

The seed that falls on good soil represents those who hear the word in all openness and accept it fully. The word takes root deep within them and overflows in all kinds of good works.

It is quite clear to which group we are called to belong. To which one, however, should I honestly identify with myself?

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Friday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Luke 8:1-3

This passage follows immediately from yesterday’s about the sinful woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee. It is one of those summary passages describing in general terms the work of Jesus.

He is accompanied by the chosen Twelve, his cooperators in the preaching of the Word and the establishing of the Kingdom. And it is precisely the Good News (the Gospel) about the Kingdom that they are preaching in word and demonstrating in practice.

What is noteworthy here—and it is unique to Luke—is the mention of many women also travelling in the company of Jesus. Some of them were women who had been healed of evil spirits. One is mentioned by name:

Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out…

The number seven is not to be taken literally, but indicates she had formerly been in a seriously immoral state. Mary of Magdala appears very prominently in John’s Gospel as someone very close to Jesus and he describes her as the first witness of the Resurrection. It is possible, too, that the “sinful woman” in the house of Simon the Pharisee was also in the group.

Some of the other women seem to be of more ample means and higher social rank. One of them was Joanna, the wife of King Herod’s steward. They helped Jesus and his disciples with their material needs. Once again, Jesus is not embarrassed to travel in the company of these women; nor are they uncomfortable in his.

We see here two roles being played by followers of Jesus. On the one hand are the Apostles whose function it is to proclaim the gospel and establish the Kingdom by word and deed, by preaching and by the example of the communal and shared life they are leading.

The other role is that of Jesus’ disciples, who are materially better off and who support the work of proclaiming the gospel by providing for the material and other needs of the evangelisers. Both roles are complementary and both, taken together, form the evangelising work of the Church.

A good example in our time are the Sisters of St Teresa of Calcutta (Missionaries of Charity), who would never be able to take care of the destitute dying without the generous help of many benefactors. And the same statement applies for many other voluntary groups involved in looking after the disadvantaged.

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Friday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on 1 Timothy 6:2-12

We come now to the last chapter of this letter. Having told Timothy what he should concentrate on in his teaching, Paul warns him against those who do not follow the “sound words” of Jesus, i.e. teachings which are in accordance with true religion. Paul says that such people are “conceited, understanding nothing”. They have a weakness for questioning everything and love to argue about words. They have an obsession with polemics and controversy for its own sake.

We still meet such people in our Church today. They do absolutely nothing to help the cause of Christ and the building of the Kingdom. As Paul says, they simply create:

…envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

They claim to be the sole possessors of the truth and can even find fault with the Pope’s orthodoxy, as well as certainly believing that the Second Vatican Council and its developments are anathema.

The only result of this kind of behaviour is jealousy, incessant arguing, verbal abuse and a deep sense of mistrust. It ends up in unending disputes by people with depraved minds and deprived of the truth, who even see religion as a means of personal gain. They did receive the true message, but have wandered far from it. They also regard Paul’s teaching with contempt because he does not ask for money. There are still quite a number of people around who see religion as a good way to make money. What kind of religion it is—well, that’s another question.

Paul says that religion does bring large profits but, paradoxically, only to those who are satisfied with what they have:

Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment…

In other words the profits in question touch the growth of the interior person and not their material advancement. The really rich are those whose needs are the least in the areas of possessions, power and status.

This leads Paul to recommend living our lives with just what we basically need. As he says:

…for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it, but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

As they say, you can’t take it with you. And even the having of it in this life can be a source of endless anxiety.

Those who hanker after material wealth are prey to all kinds of problems; they get trapped into all sorts of foolish and harmful ambitions, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. Paul then quotes a contemporary proverb:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…

Who are the really rich? One thinks of St Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) or Paul himself and many other saints and holy men and women of all religions. And, of course, of Jesus himself, who just had the clothes on his back and “nowhere to lay his head”. None of these people were poor in the sense of being deprived. They had everything they needed and much more.

There is no doubt that a great deal of the world’s problems and its miseries arise out of material greed, or out of the determination to hold on to wealth, power and prestige. Most of the world’s international tensions arise from this, causing endless misery to millions. Some call it ‘national security’, but it really concerns the security of the ‘haves’, not to mention the ‘have lots‘.

Even some Christians, Paul says, have abandoned the Way of the Gospel because of their desires for wealth, power and status as:

…in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

But as someone called by God to special service, Timothy is urged to keep away from all this. Instead he is to aim to:

…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

Paul also tells him to:

Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

When did Timothy make this “good confession” of faith? Perhaps he did so at his baptism or when hands were laid on him for his ministry.

What Paul urges for Timothy are the really precious things, and they are the things which really enrich our lives and the lives of others as well. They are ‘other-centred’, while greed and acquisitiveness are aimed only at oneself. Even some kinds of religions can be seen as primarily for the self. Paul is urging Timothy to keep the long view concerning:

…the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

In other words, to hold to that to which he committed himself.

It is for us today to look at our own lives. Does our following of Christ lead us to the qualities mentioned above or does it make us belligerent and divisive? Or are we trying to combine the best of both worlds, trying to be Christians and people of the world at the same time? Are we trying to put a coating of religion on a life that is really no different from what most of the world is living? What does our lifestyle say about us? What message does it convey to others?

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Thursday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Luke 7:36-50

Today’s passage is one of the most striking scenes in the whole of the Gospels. It is a story only found in Luke and, in a way it is strange that it is not otherwise recorded. It is not the same as the anointing of Jesus at Bethany, described by Matthew (26:6-13). Perhaps to some, especially Jewish readers, it was a little too daring and close to the edge because it is a highly intimate story in which Jesus is deeply involved.

We are told that a Pharisee—his name is Simon—was keen to have Jesus eat at his house. The word ‘Pharisee’ means ‘separated one’ and they numbered about 6,000 throughout Palestine. They taught in synagogues and, as their name implies, they saw themselves on a higher level of religious observance than their fellow Jews. They believed that interpretations and rules handed down by tradition had virtually the same authority as Scripture (see Mark 7:8-13). As a result, they were constantly bothered by Jesus’ behaviour.

Jesus accepted the invitation and he joined Simon and others at the table. We should notice that Jesus accepted invitations from both Pharisees and tax collectors. Both were equally deserving of his love and service. The diners would be reclining on couches, rather than sitting, as was the fashion of the day. This helps to explain what is going to happen.

It is not clear whether what happened next was totally spontaneous or whether it was part of a conspiracy to put Jesus in a compromising position where he could be denounced (not unlike his being presented with an adulterous woman in John 8:1-11). In one sense, it was strange that a woman such as this could burst into a Pharisee’s house unchallenged (there must have been servants); on the other hand, houses were not bolted and barred as they are in our more civilised (?) times.

What is clear is that the woman’s own intentions were sincere. We are told she was “a sinner”. ‘Sinner’ here can only refer to some public immorality, and very likely she was a ‘woman of the street’, perhaps a prostitute, or at least a woman known for her promiscuous behaviour.

She was eager to meet with Jesus and heard that he was dining at Simon’s house. So she burst in, bringing an alabaster box of ointment (probably quite expensive) and came up to Jesus from behind. She immediately began crying and her abundant tears bathed Jesus’ feet. She then began to dry his feet with her long hair. The fact that she wore her hair down or let it down in public itself indicates that she was a ‘loose woman’. She kissed the feet of Jesus and poured the ointment over them.

Simon, whether he had planned the intrusion or not, was deeply shocked at the extraordinary scene that was playing out before his eyes and in his house. If Jesus was really a prophet, he thought to himself, he would know what kind of a woman this was who was touching him. She was a sinner, and no good person (least of all a rabbi!) should allow anything remotely like that to take place.

Jesus, fully aware of what was going on in Simon’s mind, tells him a story about two debtors. One owed a large amount and the other a smaller amount. However, the creditor wrote off both debts. Which of the two, Jesus asked, would be more grateful and appreciative? Obviously the one who had been remitted the larger debt, said Simon.

“You have judged rightly”, replied Jesus and then went on to apply the parable to the present situation. In the process he indicates something that Simon had probably not thought of—that he, too, was a sinner, even though to a lesser degree. This was true because Simon had been guilty of not extending even the ordinary courtesies of hospitality to his guest. He said to Simon:

I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

And now comes the point of the story. Jesus says:

Therefore, 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.

And turning to the woman at his feet, Jesus says:

Your sins are forgiven.

The guests at table begin to ask each other:

Who is this who even forgives sins?

But Jesus says to the woman:

Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

This is a really extraordinary story. To appreciate this, one has to enter into it visually and be really present with all one’s senses active. What comes across is the amazing composure and inner security and freedom of Jesus during the whole episode. He shows absolutely no signs of being uncomfortable or embarrassed. He does not pull away or tell the woman to stop what she is doing.

Here is this woman, known to be a public sinner, who comes in and weeps over him, wipes his feet with her hair and keeps kissing them passionately. The guests are highly disturbed, shocked and probably embarrassed, but Jesus remains perfectly at ease. He knows what the woman is doing and why; he is not worried about what others might think she is doing.

Let us admire his ability to focus totally on the woman and not be self-conscious about the other people around. Imagine what a tabloid publication might have made of this scene! What if something like that were to happen today with a bishop or priest, or some other prominent person? How would most clergy—or other public people react in such a situation?

Jesus knows that the woman is expressing both sincere repentance and a great affection for Jesus. She is expressing her repentance in the only way that she knows. She is a highly tactile person; it is part of her way of life. To the sexually immature, what she is doing—and Jesus’ acceptance of it—seems at the very least, unbecoming, and at the worst bordering on the obscene.

But Jesus says her sins are now forgiven. It was really the passionate love she was showing which indicated that she had won forgiveness. Love and sin are incompatible; they cannot co-exist in the same person. She was loving Jesus so much at that moment that she could not be a sinner. Simon could not see this. His concept of sin was purely legalistic, but for Jesus it is relational.

At this point her immoral past was totally irrelevant. In our society, wrongdoers can be stuck with labels often for the rest of their lives irrespective of how they have changed. God does not work that way. He deals with persons as they are in the here and now. What I did yesterday does not matter. All that matters is what I am doing now, how I am relating to God and those around me right now.

We remember the man who died beside Jesus on the cross. He had led a terrible life and was now being executed for his crimes. Yet he appeals to Jesus and is promised that he will go to God hand in hand with Jesus. Unfair? Fortunately God’s ideas of fairness are not ours—otherwise we might be in trouble because of our past.

Once again we see how God, in Jesus, always tries to rehabilitate and not to punish. Punishment destroys—God’s desire is that we all be made whole and experience inner peace and harmony.

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Thursday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on 1 Timothy 4:12-16

Having given Timothy instructions on the qualities needed for ‘bishops’ and ‘deacons’, Paul goes on with some advice for Timothy himself. First, Paul tells him not to allow anyone to look down on him or ignore him because of his relative youth. It is believed that Timothy was in his mid-30s or even younger. Perhaps, for this reason, his leadership was called in question by older, or even younger, members of the community. In those days, positions of community leadership would normally not be held by someone so young.

We have seen that, in general, the leaders of the churches were called ‘elders’, because they were ‘senior citizens’. It was believed that wisdom and experience went with age. But there could be exceptions. One outstanding example was the Macedonian Alexander, who, even as a very young man, had a mesmeric influence on his troops.

Timothy is to counter this possible disadvantage, not by exerting his authority or throwing his weight about, but by the way he speaks and behaves. He will have the greatest influence by his display of love for all, the evident depth of his Christian faith, and his “purity” which includes not only sexual propriety, but integrity in general. He is to be a totally transparent person. It is a recipe for any Christian leader today.

While he waits for Paul’s arrival, he is to devote himself to reading to the people, presumably from the Old Testament and from the Christian tradition that had been gathered by that time. Depending on the date when the Letter was actually written, the Gospels may not yet have been put together. If a later date is accepted, then Matthew, Mark and Luke could have been in circulation.

Paul also reminds Timothy that he has been given by the community a solemn mandate and a charism to carry out his mission of church leadership:

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.

The “laying on of hands” could be the rite for transmitting a grace or charism. It could be the gesture used when blessing, or healing, or imparting the Holy Spirit to the newly baptised. It could also be the rite for consecrating a person for a particular ministry, as in this passage and later in the same letter (1 Tim 5:22). With this laying on of hands, Timothy is endowed with a special grace and authority to carry out his special ministry. (Notice he was given his ministry by the ‘lay’ elders of his community who laid hands on him. Ultimate authority is in the community.)

The gift is also given “through prophecy”. The ‘prophet’ was a person highly esteemed in the Christian communities of Paul’s time. In Paul’s list of charisms in the First Letter to the Corinthians, ‘prophets’ are listed immediately behind ‘apostles’ in importance, ahead of teachers, healers and administrators (see 1 Cor 12:28). The prophet did not just foretell the future. He or she was one who could communicate a special message of encouragement or warning from God to the community. It is likely that Timothy’s being chosen for his special ministry was the result of such a prophetic utterance. Since the day on which he received the imposition of hands, Timothy has had a permanent charism (‘grace-gift’) that consecrates him to his ministry.

If Timothy conscientiously follows the instructions of Paul, then everyone will see how well he does. And he will bring about the salvation both of those who listen to him and his own. Salvation is both an event and an ongoing process. We are saved at the time we say ‘Yes’ to Christ’s call, but are still being saved in the sense of continually being made more conformed to Christ’s image (1 Cor 1:18). In Baptism we become incorporated into the Body of Christ and experience his redeeming love, but it is at the same time only the beginning of a long journey of an ever-deepening experiencing and living out of that love. As they say, not to go forward is to go back.

The advice Paul gives to Timothy can be applied in large measure to all of us. We should not judge others or allow ourselves to be judged merely on the matter of age, whether we are young or old, or on any other prejudicial stereotype for that matter—being a woman, disabled, member of a religious or ethnic minority, our sexual orientation or anything else.

Second, the quality of our Christianity is ultimately judged by the way we externally live our Christian calling, not just by what we say or the authority labels we attach to ourselves. As Jesus said about the Pharisees:

…do whatever they teach you and follow it, but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
(Matt 23:3)

What people can see should also clearly reflect what is inside. We cannot, in any case, live a false life for very long. As the Gospel reminds us, a rotten tree cannot bear good fruit.

Third, we too need to recognise and reflect on the unique gifts we have been given by which we are called to serve the community.

Lastly, the quality of our external Christian witness depends a great deal on an interior life enriched by reading, reflection and especially regular prayer. We cannot enrich others with something we do not have. That, in a nutshell, is Paul’s advice to Timothy—and to each one of us.

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Wednesday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Luke 7:31-35

Today’s passage follows immediately after the scene (not in our Mass readings) where Jesus answers the query from John the Baptist, now languishing in prison, about whether Jesus is truly the Messiah. Jesus uses the occasion to speak words of high praise for John:

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. (Luke 7:28)

Jesus now criticises the cynicism and self-contradictory attitudes of those who reject both him and John. They have simply closed their ears and want to hear nothing and learn nothing. He compares them to children in a city square calling to their playmates:

We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.

This comparison Jesus applies to John the Baptist and himself. John led an austere life in the desert eating, as we are told elsewhere, only locusts and wild honey. They said he was mad and rejected him. Jesus came leading a highly convivial life, mixing with all kinds of people. They called him a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and other sinful people. He even invited a tax collector to be one of his twelve Apostles!

It was a no-win situation. When people are like that there is really nothing that can be done. Jesus concludes with the enigmatic statement:

…wisdom is vindicated by all her children.

Both John and Jesus could be described as children of Wisdom, whose origin is God himself. Those who can see the hand of God in the lives of John and Jesus are also children of Wisdom. Those who adamantly refuse to see God are not.

It is important for us not to fall into such a trap. God speaks to us in so many ways and through so many people and situations. It is very easy to find ourselves excluding, a priori, the people or situations by which God is trying to reach us.

We cannot expect God to speak to us only in ways which we find congenial. He may speak to us through a saint or a sinner, through a conservative or a liberal, through a straight or gay person, or through a man or a woman or a young child. Perhaps he speaks through an old person or a young person, or through an educated or an illiterate person, or through someone we know or someone we don’t. We have at all times to be ready to listen with an unprejudiced mind and heart.

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Wednesday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on 1 Timothy 3:14-16

The first part of today’s reading is an immediate follow-up on yesterday’s about the qualities required of bishops (episkopoi) and deacons (diakonoi).

Paul is writing to Timothy from Rome in the hope of being able to pay him a personal visit in the near future. But in case his visit is “delayed” (because he may actually be in prison), he is sending the present letter in order to instruct him on his responsibility of setting high standards of conduct in the Church of Ephesus and its nearby towns:

I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

The care he must exercise over this community is required by the profound nature of Christianity, as:

…the mystery of godliness is great.

A full understanding of our Christian faith and of the Church requires a great deal of prayer and reflection. And, unless there is a deep understanding of what it is about, one cannot expect Christians to behave in a desirable manner.

Then, using what seems to be part of a liturgical hymn from the Ephesian church, Paul expresses that “mystery” at the heart of Christian belief. It consists of six brief statements grouped in pairs:

He was revealed in flesh,
vindicated in spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among gentiles,
believed in throughout the world,
taken up in glory.

It centres on Christ, pre-existent (from all eternity the Word was with God), but through the Incarnation, appearing in human flesh. He was justified in the Spirit, which came down on him during his baptism in the Jordan:

And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:17)

Thus the mission of Jesus is fully endorsed, as will happen again at the Transfiguration.

The holiness and divinity of Christ were also proved by his rising in glory. The Holy Spirit enables Jesus to drive out demons (see Matt 12:28) and perform wonderful signs. Most importantly, the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and thereby vindicated him, proving that he was indeed the Son of God. The mystery of his Person was revealed to the angels (at his resurrection and ascension), and proclaimed to the Gentiles (by people like the Apostles and Paul and Timothy).

The response of the Gentiles results in people believing in Jesus throughout the world. As Paul wrote, ‘world’ refers to the Mediterranean region, the world in which he lived, but of course, it has since become a reality far beyond his wildest imagining. Finally, through his resurrection and ascension Christ has been taken up in glory, sitting at the right hand of the Father.

It is important for us to realise how deep is the mystery of our Christian faith centred on the Trinity and the Incarnation. It is inevitable that people, including bishops and priests, have different understandings of that faith, even after much study. Such differences should lead to a readiness to listen to others rather than lock ourselves into our own understanding. And let us remember what Jesus said was the only true sign of our belonging to him:

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)

Because, wherever there is love, God is also there. That, of course, does not excuse us (depending on our abilities) from trying to have the best understanding possible of the meaning of our faith.

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