Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of Saint Januarius
 
Additional information about St. Januarius

“Supper in the House of Simon Pharisee”
by Moretto da Brescia, 1550-54

 
Readings for Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
 
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the Apostles,
not fit to be called an Apostle,
because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 15:1-11
 
St Paul delivers an apologia (a defense) on the basic tenet of the faith: Christ died for our sins and following his death there was a physical resurrection. He goes on to offer proofs that Jesus was raised from the dead by giving what amounts to a chronology of his post-resurrection appearances, in which he includes his own vision on the road to Damascus.
 
St. Paul concludes this selection as he professes his own witness, marking himself as least among the apostles (because of his earlier role as emissary of the Sanhedrin, persecutor of the Church). It is supposed that this chapter is directed at refuting those who believe there was no physical resurrection.
 
CCC: 1 Cor 15:3-5 186; 1 Cor 15:3-4 639, 652; 1 Cor 15:3 519, 601, 619, 624; 1 Cor 15:4-8 642; 1 Cor 15:4 627; 1 Cor 15:5 552, 641; 1 Cor 15:7-8 857; 1 Cor 15:8 659; 1 Cor 15:9 752
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1b-2, 16ab-17, 28
 
R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

“The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord has struck with power.”
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

You are my God, and I give thanks to you;
O my God, I extol you.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

“The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord has struck with power.”
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

You are my God, and I give thanks to you;
O my God, I extol you.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
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Commentary on Ps 118:1b-2, 16ab-17, 28
 
Psalm 118 is a song of thanksgiving emphasizing the fidelity of God. These strophes focus on God’s infinite mercy and his saving grace. All are invited to give thanks for his saving hand.
 
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Gospel: Luke 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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Commentary on Lk 7:36-50
 
This passage from St. Luke’s Gospel gives us an excellent example of the relation between forgiveness and love. Jesus uses the radical actions of the sinful woman to demonstrate the extreme pardon the Lord will bestow on those who love him. He contrasts this with the lukewarm acts of love demonstrated by the Pharisee who should expect even less in return.
 
In the story, the strong moral point is made about the depth of the love of God and its relation to all peoples, for none are free of sin. The Pharisee clearly does not believe he is a sinful person and looks with disdain on the woman who humbly washes the Lord’s feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. The Lord tells the story of the two debtors to illustrate his point that the magnitude of sin forgiven stimulates a corresponding level of gratitude and love in return.
 
CCC: Lk 7:36 575, 588; Lk 7:37-38 2616; Lk 7:48 1441
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Reflection:
 
Who do we suppose ourselves to be in the scene painted by St. Luke’s words about the supper in the house of Simon the Pharisee?  I ask you to pause for a moment and picture this scene.  Where are you among those in attendance?
 
Are you taking the place of the “sinful woman who stands behind Jesus bathing his feet with tears and wiping and anointing them?  Do you accept this role, the role of a slave?  It was, after all a slave who performed these actions in biblical times.  If you were in her place, you would have completely humbled yourself before the Lord.  In doing so, you would have received his forgiveness.  But – what of the others?  What do Simon and his friends think of you, prominent members of the community in which you live?  You may have humbled yourself in front of Jesus, but you humiliated yourself in front of the others.  Can you accept this role?
 
Are you taking the role of Simon who clearly respects Jesus as Rabbi? – Teacher, he calls him.  He has invited Jesus into his home and in fact thrown a banquet in his honor.  In Simon’s place you might even think you have taken a more positive stand for Jesus than the woman.  That banquet cost money – the food and wine; and not just for Jesus but the others in attendance as well.  Yet, what do you receive from Jesus for your effort?  Thanks for the meal; appreciation for the hospitality and reception?  No, Jesus uses you in contrast with the woman.  He points out your failures – you failed to offer him comfort, you failed to give him a kiss in welcome.  He reminds you that you are a sinner as well with his story.  Do you want this role?
 
Do you see yourself as one of the guests; invited to sit with this teacher, break bread with him?  Are you seated next to him or further down the table?  Ah, being one of the guests is a safe place to be.  To sit at the table and feel embarrassment for Jesus who has this sinful woman fawning over him.  To sit and feel the discomfort of Simon who for all his generosity receives only criticism from Jesus.  Did you come out of curiosity; to see what you could get out of it?  Did you come for the free meal?  Did you come because you wanted to be associated with Jesus?
 
The meal at the house of Simon becomes for us an analogy of our life of faith seen in microcosm.  When we consider the dynamic of the banquet, we discover that there is no completely safe place to be unless we do not come at all, in which case we have missed everything including salvation itself.  Today we ask for the grace of Christ.  We pray that we can be humble without being humiliated and inviting without being pompous or condescending and that we can be grateful guests at the Lord’s Table, participating in the meal he offers and invited to the heavenly banquet that follows.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used is “Supper in the House of Simon Pharisee” by Moretto da Brescia, 1550-54.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.