Tag: Jesus Galindo

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Meeting the God of Mercy with Fr. Jesus Galindo

_S360222We sat down with Fr. Jesus Galindo to talk about the Year of Mercy and its place in the lives of the parish of San Antonio. He shared with us his thoughts and hopes for the year and how we can all encounter God’s mercy throughout Lent and the rest of the year.

Fr. Jesus began by talking about the timeliness of this Year of Mercy. “The Church has always been seen as a powerful institution,” he says. “There’s a saying, utos ng pari, hindi mababale. That kind of mentality has been problematic. What we need now is a Church devoted to being a Church of the poor. That means being a place where God’s mercy can be encountered by all, especially the marginalized.”

“The tone of the parable is not anger and condemnation but
mercy, love, and joy. That is the God we would like to encounter”

When I asked what the parish can do during this Year, Fr. Jesus pointed to himself. “It has to begin with us priests,” he said. “We acknowledge that we are human and in need of God’s mercy ourselves. Only then can we show mercy to others.”

“A special place where this can happen is in the sacrament of reconciliation,” he continues. Fr. Jesus emphasizes that he prefers the idea of reconciliation and repentance over calling the sacrament ‘confession.’ The name ‘confession’ evokes too much of a trial or courtroom, which was the old context of the sacrament. The sacrament is still the same, but we can emphasize today an encounter with a merciful God who wants to reconcile with us so deeply.

When I asked him about his hopes for the rest of the Year of Mercy, Fr. Jesus highlighted two things. One would be for mercy to start at home. Many parishioners have helpers in their houses. “It is as basic as treating them with respect and dignity,” Fr. Jesus says. That already is a simple act of mercy. The second would be to participate in communal celebrations of the sacrament of reconciliation. This would be a good way to understand how the sacrament is really one of healing and mercy. “Consider the father in the parable of the prodigal son,” Fr. Jesus suggests. “The tone of the parable is not anger and condemnation but mercy, love, and joy. That is the God we would like to encounter”

Fr. Jesus has personally devoted himself to the confessional these days. It is where his life and ministry has led to at this point in his life.

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Health Care Ministry

HEALTH CARE MINISTRY NEWS by Barbie Young


The Health Care Ministry had its first activity of the year—a recollection in Taal, Batangas, last January 13, 2015. The group visited some old, ancestral homes at Taal Town, The Heritage Town, which showcased our Filipino heritage. However, the visit to the Taal Basilica of St. Martin de Tours and the Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay were the highlights of the day. After a boodle-style lunch at one of the local eateries, Fr. Jesus Galindo gave his reflections on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines pastoral message for 2015 as The Year of the Poor. The recollection was very timely since the topic coincided with the Holy Father, Pope Francis’ constant reminder during his recent visit that “the great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor, and bids us to break the bonds of injustice and oppression which give rise to glaring and scandalous social inequalities.”

(Source: americamagazine.org)

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Fr. Jesus Galindo Health Care Ministry

Health Care Ministry Gives to Rizal Medical Center by Chuchi Quevedo

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Despite the announcement that no classes and no government offices would open due to Typhoon Ruby, the Health Care Ministry members did not mind getting a little wet last Dec. 9. Accompanied by their spiritual adviser Fr. Jesus Galindo, OFM, they went ahead with their plan to distribute 150 ecobags to the Pedia Ward, Medicine, Surgery, and certain rooms of OB-Gyne Ward, at the Rizal Medical Center.

As in the past years, they pooled their resources and asked Elisa Manaloto to buy toiletries from Divisoria. They also included in their gift bags, Ovaltine, Bread Pan, choco bars, apples and a religious calendar.

The patients were all smiles upon seeing them don their Santa hats as they distributed the gifts. Fr. Jesus offered to bless a baby with hydrocephalus. Thanks also to Barbie Young for having lent her van and driver the whole morning.

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Reflections

“WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?” Sunday Gospel Reflection, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time A, by Fr. Jesús Galindo, OFM

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Jesus did not suffer from identity crisis, nor was he “image conscious,” as many of our politicians and movie stars are. When he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” he was not conducting a survey or a popularity poll. He knew well enough what people thought of him. It was his way of striking a conversation with his disciples. His real interest was in their answer to his second question, “Who do you say that I am?” Today’s gospel passage is part of the private instruction, which Jesus imparted to his disciples in order to reveal himself to them–and to them alone. Hence the injunction to strictly tell no one that he was the Christ.

What people were saying about Jesus was not bad at all; in fact it was very good. He was mistaken for great and holy people: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. (Of course, the apostles did not tell Jesus the negative things some people were saying about or against him; for instance, that he was out of his mind; that he was a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners; that he was possessed by Beelzebul, etc.). The people’s regard for Jesus, as told by the apostles, high as it was, ran short from reality: Jesus is much, much more than John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or any of the prophets.

Jesus then asked his apostles the same question: “Who do you say that I am?” Now it was Peter, inspired by the Spirit, who gave the right answer: “YOU ARE THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.” Notice how, to the first question, all the apostles answered; but to the second, more personal question, only one did. It is always easier to talk about what others say and do than to talk about oneself.

Peter was richly rewarded for his right answer. This was definitely Peter’s finest moment: 1) He was praised and blessed by Jesus. 2) He was given a new name, signifying a new role or mission; before he was Simon, now he is Peter, meaning Rock—upon which Jesus will build his Church. 3) He was given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, that is, the power to govern the Church and the authority to bind and to loose, namely, to declare what is right and what is wrong, what is allowed and what is forbidden. This is called the Magisterium of the Church, now exercised by the successor of Peter, in the spirit of service to the flock. Awesome powers given to a man—a simple fisherman at that! But then, the vigor of the Church comes, not from the strength or talent of Peter and his successors, but from Jesus’ firm promise: “The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

Today, Jesus’ question is addressed to each one of us: “Who do you say that I am?” Who indeed is Jesus for me? What role does he play in my life, in my plans, in my decisions? What kind of relationship do I have with him? Do I relate to him as my Big Boss, my Lord, my King? Or do I rather relate with him as my Brother, my Friend, my Confidant?

The kind of answer we give to these questions is important; it may even determine the kind of spiritual life we live. If Jesus is for us an authority figure, then chances are that our Christian and spiritual life will be marked by respect, submission and fear. (One of the saddest things is to see very old people, who have been attending Mass and receiving the sacraments regularly for decades, being now tormented by the fear of hell.) However, if Jesus is my Brother, my Friend and my Confidant, then my spiritual life will be marked by joyful love. I will go to Mass, Sunday or no Sunday; obligation or no obligation. I will go even daily, if possible, because I enjoy being with my Brother and my Friend, talking and listening to him.

About Fr. Jesus and his reflections.

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Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“Not on Bread Alone Is Man to Live” by Fr. Jesus Galindo, OFM

Lent is not mainly about “giving up,” rather it is about “growing up.” It is a time to enrich and strengthen our faith and to reinforce our weak spots—where temptations are more likely to get through; it might be anger, unforgiveness, addiction to gambling, alcohol or drugs, pride or infidelity. The aim is to get rid of the idols in our life, so as to worship and serve God alone.

Every year, on the first Sunday of Lent, we read at Mass one of the gospel accounts of Jesus’ temptations (this year, Matthew’s). We are reminded that, during the Lenten season, we must gather up strength to be able to fight against the power of evil. For that, we need to intensify our prayer life and our acts of penance and charity. In the Philippines, this Sunday is marked every year as “National Migrants’ Day.” Is it, perhaps, because migrants are easily exposed to temptation? That seems to be the implication, since in the Prayer of the Faithful we are invited to pray, “that the families of migrant workers may remain steadfast in the face of temptation, resist the lure of materialism and strive to stay united in prayer.” (Sambuhay)

When we pray the Our Father and say, “… lead us not into temptation,” we are not asking God to keep temptations away from us, but rather to help us not to give in, or to fall into, temptation. Temptations are part and parcel of human life. They afford us an opportunity to show how strong or how weak our love for God is. If overcome, temptations become a source of merit and grace. The strength of iron is tested by fire. We discover the worth of true love and friendship when they are tested. Likewise, we prove our love for God when we fight and overcome temptations. “The absence of temptation is the absence of virtue.” (Goethe)

Temptation is an invitation to take the easy road and to deviate from God’s commands. This is particularly clear in the account of the temptations of Jesus. He had just begun his public ministry and had committed himself to do the will of the Father by submitting to John’s baptism of repentance. But Satan comes around telling him to take it easy: “Why go hungry? You have the power to turn stones into bread; use it. Show ‘em who you are.” It is an invitation to be selfish, to use power for his own good. Jesus would experience this sort of temptation again and again in his life. For instance, when Peter told him, after the first announcement of his passion: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! (Mt. 16:22- 23) Or when, after the multiplication of
the loaves, the people wanted to make him king. (Jn. 6:15) Jesus withdrew to the mountain alone. Or when people asked him for a sign from heaven—so they could believe in him (Mt. 16:1; Mk 8:11)
Jesus simply refused.

Perhaps Satan’s fiercest attack on Jesus took place when Jesus was hanging on the cross and Satan put in the mouth of people the same old mantra, “If you are the Son of God…” First, “Those passing by reviled him… If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Mt. 27:39) Next, “The chief priests and the scribes mocked him and said, ‘Let him come down from the cross now and we will believe in him… for he said: I am the Son of God’.” And then, “One of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.’” (Lk. 23:39) The temptation of power and greed haunted Jesus up to the very last moment of his life. But he came out victorious by staying on the cross, doing the Father’s will.

Notice how Jesus quotes Scripture passages (Dt. 8:3; 6:13 and 6:16) in order to fend off the devil’s ploys. The Word of God is a powerful source of grace and strength against temptation. But then the devil also quotes a Scripture passage himself. (Ps. 91: 1, 2) Indeed the Word of God can be used in the wrong way and for the wrong purpose too. Discernment is needed before lending credence to any “bible babbler.”

Last Wednesday we started the Lenten season with the imposition of ashes. Lent is not mainly about “giving up,” rather it is about “growing up.” It is a time to enrich and strengthen our faith and to reinforce our weak spots—where temptations are more likely to get through; it might be anger, unforgiveness, addiction to gambling, alcohol or drugs, pride or infidelity. The aim is to get rid of the idols in our life, so as to worship and serve God alone.

About Fr. Jesus and more of his reflections

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“Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.” by Fr. Jesus Galindo, OFM

…to establish the kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice, peace, truth and love… for this task to succeed, …(Jesus needed to find) …only a humble and docile heart.

Historical note: Zebulun and Naphtali, mentioned in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah and in the gospel, are two of the twelve tribes of Israel named after the twelve sons of Jacob. When the Israelites conquered Palestine after their Exodus from Egypt, they divided up the land among the twelve tribes (save for the tribe of Levi). The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali settled in the Northernmost part of the country, later called Galilee (Cf. Book of Joshua,19:10-16, 32-39). Zebulun and Naphtali were the first provinces of Israel to be overrun by Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria in 733 BC, who turned them into an Assyrian province–hence the moniker “Galilee of the Gentiles.”

* * *

“Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These are the very first words uttered by Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry. These were also the very first words of John the Baptist when he began his public ministry in the desert (Mt 3:1). What is the relationship between repentance and the kingdom of heaven? First of all, what is the kingdom of heaven? Where is it to be found? Most of us have the idea that the kingdom of heaven is, where else, but up there in heaven. We get there after death. (Mark and Luke use the expression ‘kingdom of God”). Jesus, however, tells us that “… the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). “The kingdom of God is among you” (Lk 17:21). It exists right here and now.

God’s kingdom is not territorial. God does not rule over towns and cities. God reigns over the hearts of men and women who accept his rule and obey his will. God’s kingdom is found in our hearts, if indeed God is in control of our lives.

And it is precisely here that repentance comes in. Repentance means conversion. It consists not so much in beating our chest as in removing from our hearts any obstacle, which may stand in the way between us and God; anything that may pull us apart from God and from our fellowmen. Paul asks the Corinthians to shun divisions and factionalism (2nd reading). With us, it might be pride, vanity, anger, hatred or envy; it might be money, alcohol, drugs, sex … whatever. God cannot set His throne in our hearts if they are already filled with something else. Hence Jesus’ call for repentance.

Jesus’ primary concern throughout his public ministry was to establish the kingdom of God, dismantling in the process the kingdom of Satan, namely, hunger, illness, suffering and injustice. This he did, as the gospel tells us, by preaching and by curing every disease. The cures that Jesus performed were meant not only to restore people’s health but also to restore their faith in God.

In the task of building up God’s kingdom Jesus did not want to go it alone. He chose 12 disciples to carry out that task — even after he was gone. We heard in today’s gospel how he called his first disciples, two pairs of brothers: Peter and Andrew, James and John. We might think that Jesus made the wrong choice. Instead of going to the temple or to the synagogue of Jerusalem to look for learned and competent people (priests, scribes, Pharisees), he went to the seashore to look for rude and unlearned fishermen.

Indeed it is often difficult to understand Jesus’ way of doing things. He always seems to oppose or challenge our ways of thinking: “The first will be the last and the last will be the first.” “He who exalts himself will be humbled…” “He who saves his life, will lose it…” But we can be sure that he knew well what he was doing, and in no way can we improve on it. He did not come to set up a business enterprise, a chain of banks or restaurants, but to establish the kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice, peace, truth and love. And for this task to succeed, no managerial skills or degrees are needed; only a humble and docile heart. That is exactly what he found in the rude fishermen, and not in the learned scribes and Pharisees.

Hopefully, he will find it in each one of us too!

About Fr. Jesus and more of his reflections

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“Stay awake… Be prepared” by Fr. Jesus Galindo, OFM

“Prepare the way of the Lord.” The way of the Lord is none other than our way of life.

As early as September 1, there were Christmas carols being played on radio. The department stores began to display Christmas cards, trees, lights, and all sorts of Christmas décor. Now comes the Church liturgy and announces the beginning of Advent. “What Advent,” you might say. “Father, huli ka sa balita. We have already been celebrating Christmas for over two months now! Our Christmas cards are out; our Christmas trees and lights are up; our Christmas shopping is almost done. Our homes are fully decorated. What Advent are you talking about?”

Kawawang Adbiyento! It is practically non-existent for most people in the Philippines. We plunge right away into the Christmas frills and trappings. We are pushed into this by business interests who use this season as an opportunity, not to bring us closer to Christ, but to rake in fabulous earnings. Big business rules even our spiritual life. That is, if we allow it to do so. Shall we?

It is for this reason that the Church comes now to remind us to “be vigilant” and to “stay awake.” Not to be like the people in Noah’s time who were eating, drinking and having fun; which is exactly what many of us do during the Christmas and pre-Christmas season—going by the number of Christmas parties which are held these days. Hopefully this year, after so many calamities have left millions of our countrymen hungry and homeless, we will.

Advent is meant to be like a fourweek retreat to help us prepare for a meaningful and rewarding celebration of the birthday of Christ. Advent reminds us that it is Christ who is coming, not Santa Claus or the reindeers. Christ, not Santa Claus, is the reason for the season.

Our retreat masters for Advent will be mainly prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist, with their resounding invitation: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” The way of the Lord is none other than our way of life. In today’s passage (First Reading), prophet Isaiah describes the messianic time as a time of peace among nations: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another.” It is clear that Isaiah’s vision has not yet been fulfilled, as violence and war wrack many parts of the world. This should help us understand why we need the season of Advent and Christmas to come around year after year: To remind us of the unfinished task of building up peace among the nations.

The symbol of this Advent season is the Advent Wreath–which should be displayed well ahead of the Christmas tree. It consists of four candles, one for each week. It can be made into a powerful means of personal and family reflection and renewal. How? By giving a name or theme to each candle, for instance, Patience, Forgiveness, Unity, Peace (or any other theme of relevance to or lacking in the family). Then, each week, as the family members gather for meals or for prayer, they can have a short reflection and sharing on the theme for the week, and end with a prayer, asking the Lord to bestow on the family the value or virtue meditated upon.

In this way, the Advent Wreath will not be a mere piece of décor but a useful aid for spiritual renewal in the family, by far more meaningful and spiritually rewarding than the mere sight of the twinkling lights around the Christmas tree. A fruitful Advent to one and all!

As published on December 1, 2013, Parish Bulletin
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“Money Fills Your Pocket But Empties Your Heart”, Fr. Jesus Galindo, OFM

As long as we are ruled by greed and selfishness, we only think of ourselves and our welfare. But as soon as Jesus takes hold of our life, we begin to think about the needs of others.

Luke’s gospel can very well be called the “Gospel of the Underdog.” Jesus consistently shows his love and preference for the outcasts and the little ones: In the gospel, three Sundays ago, it was the Samaritan leper, an outcast, who was praised by Jesus – not the nine Jewish lepers. Two Sundays ago, it was a little old widow who won over the corrupt judge and got her demand. Last Sunday, it was the tax collector who was justified in the temple, not the self-righteous Pharisee. Today, it is Zacchaeus, another tax collector, who welcomed Jesus in his house, not the self-righteous critics.

Zacchaeus (his name means “just” or “clean”) is described by St. Luke as “a chief tax collector, a wealthy man, but short in stature.” He wanted very badly to see Jesus; and he did not stop at anything to have his wish come true, to the point of forgetting his social standing and making a fool of himself by climbing on a tree like a little monkey. Why did he want so badly to see Jesus? Was it plain curiosity? Was it remorse? Was it dissatisfaction with his wealth and with his way of life? Author J. Oswald Sanders, is his book entitled Facing Loneliness, says: “The millionaire is usually a lonely man, and the comedian is often more unhappy than his audience.” Money can fill your pockets but it empties your heart.

Zacchaeus’ act of childish abandon amply paid off. He got a lot more than what he was looking for or had expected. He not only got a glimpse of Jesus from his advantage point; he had the immense privilege of bringing Jesus right into his house. It looks like Jesus was just as eager to meet him as he was to meet Jesus. We can always find the Lord, if we really want to. He is always eager to meet us; in fact, he often takes the initiative. But then, we have to come out of ourselves, like Zacchaeus. Jesus will never find us if we remain enclosed in the bunker of our selfish, sinful ways.

Zacchaeus found salvation when he let go, not only of his social status but also of the wealth that enslaved him. He was a wealthy man but he was not happy; he was not really free. Money and power, especially if they are ill-gotten, enslave us. Ours may look like a golden cage, but it is a cage nonetheless. We must let go of it in order to be free.

Once Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus into his house and into his life, his heart was filled with grace and boundless generosity: “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor.” As long as we are ruled by greed and selfishness, we only think of ourselves and our welfare. But as soon as Jesus takes hold of our life, we begin to think about the needs of others.

Zacchaeus’ story tells us that we cannot reconcile ourselves with God without reconciling with our fellowmen. We cannot seek forgiveness from God in the sacrament of reconciliation and then go on committing injustice and abuse against our workers and household help. It tells us further that restitution and reparation are necessary ingredients of true repentance: “If I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”

Lastly, Zacchaeus’ story shows that, just as our wrongdoings often hurt the people around us (e.g., irresponsible parents bring shame and embarrassment to their children), so also our conversion brings about blessing and grace to the entire family: “Salvation has come to this house.” Not just to Zacchaeus but to his entire household as well.

May our encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist transform our life and that of the people around us, as it did transform the life of Zacchaeus and of his household!

as published on November 3, 2013, Parish Bulletin
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“Make Friends with Dishonest Wealth” by Fr. Jesus Galindo

Make friends with those who, when one day you find yourself in trouble, that is, before God’s throne of justice, will defend and welcome you. These friends, we know, are the poor.

This Sunday’s Gospel presents us with a parable that in some respects has important contemporary relevance: the parable of the dishonest steward. The central character of the parable is the farm manager of a landowner, a well-known figure in our countryside when the sharecropping system was still in existence. Like all good parables, this one is like a miniature play, full of movement and scene changes. The actors in the first scene are the steward and the master and the scene ends with the master firing the steward: “You can no longer be my steward.” The steward does not even try to defend himself. He knows that he is guilty of what the master has discovered.

The second scene is a soliloquy of the steward, who is now alone. He has not yet accepted defeat. He immediately thinks about what he can do to get himself out of this situation and save his future.

The third scene — steward and tenant farmers — reveals to us the plan that the steward has devised. He asks the tenants, “How much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat,” is one reply. “Here is your promissory note,” he says, “take it and write down eighty.” A classic case of corruption and falsehood that makes us think of similar situations in our own society, often on a much larger scale.

The conclusion may seem disconcerting: “The master praised the dishonest steward for acting prudently.” It is the master, not Jesus, who praises the steward’s shrewdness. We need to recall the particular nature of teaching in parables. The moral doctrine that is aimed at is not in the parable taken as a whole, in every detail, but only in that aspect of the parable that the narrator wishes to pick out. And the idea that Jesus intended to bring out with this parable is clear. The master praises the steward for his resourcefulness and for nothing else. It is not said that the master changed his mind about his decision to fire the man.

Indeed, given the initial conduct of the master and the quickness with which he discovers the new scam we can easily imagine the outcome, which the parable does not report. After having praised the steward for his astuteness, the master orders him to immediately restore the fruit of his dishonest transactions or pay it off in prison if he lacks the means.

It is cleverness that Jesus also praises, outside the parable. In fact, he adds: “The children of this world are more clever in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” That man, when he was faced with an emergency situation in which his whole future was at stake, showed a capacity for radical decision making and great resourcefulness. He acted quickly and intelligently — even if dishonestly — to save himself. This, Jesus observes to his disciples, is what you too must do, to save yourselves, not for a worldly future but for an eternal future.

Jesus is telling us Christians to be as quick and intelligent and resourceful in doing good as the “children of this world” (the corrupt) are in doing wrong. We are all God’s “stewards,” so we have to act wisely like the man in the parable.

The Gospel itself makes different practical applications of this teaching of Christ. The one that it insists the most on is the one regarding the use of wealth and money: “I tell you, make friends with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” In other words, do as that steward did; make friends with those who, when one day you find yourself in trouble, that is, before God’s throne of justice, will defend and welcome you. These friends, we know, are the poor.

We know this from what Christ says about his being the recipient of what we do for them. The poor, St. Augustine said, are, so to speak, our couriers and porters: They allow us to begin transferring our belongings now to the house that is being built for us in the hereafter. (R. Cantalamessa, ofm cap).

as published on September 22, 2013, Parish Bulletin

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“Your Faith Has Saved You” by Fr. Jesus

What the gospel wants to tell us is that Jesus loves the sinner’s humility and repentance, while he detests the pride of the self-righteous.

During this Year of Faith, which is well into its second half, it might have been a good spiritual exercise to take up, on Sundays, gospel passages in which faith is mentioned and rewarded. Many of the cures performed by Jesus were the result of an act of faith on the part of the sick persons. On the other hand, lack of faith “paralyzed” the Lord’s hands and heart, and prevented him from working miracles-as it happened in Nazareth at the start of his public ministry (Mt. 13:58). The woman in today’s gospel professed her faith in Jesus, not in words but with her actions; and Jesus rewarded her for that.

The Gospel of St. Luke is called by different names. Among others, the “Gospel of Mercy,” if only for the three parables found in chapter 15 about the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. It is also called the “Gospel of Women,” because of the many passages dealing with Jesus’ respect and concern for women including the last two verses of today’s gospel about the women-disciples, and last Sunday’s gospel about tbe widow of Nain.

Thus, we can say that today’s passage is like a showcase of Luke’s gospel, as it combines both themes: Jesus’ mercy and his defense of the sinful woman against the accusing mutterings of Simon, the self-righteous Pharisee. A good number of gospel passages find fulfillment in this story. The passage about the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple (Lk. 18: 10ft) and that of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:30ft) bear a striking similarity to today’s gospel. They all express Jesus’ predilection for the little ones, in fulfillment of the gospel’s oft-repeated paradox: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk. 14:11).

By accepting the invitation of a Pharisee to have dinner with him in his house, Jesus was displaying great courage and also taking a great risk. The Pharisees were not precisely his best friends. On the contrary, they were always harassing him and scrutinizing his every word and action in order to have something to accuse him of. Simon was probably delighted when Jesus accepted his invitation, so he and his fellow-Pharisees could observe him closely. And sure enough, he soon began to vent his bias against Jesus: “If this man were a prophet … ” Even though Simon said that “to himself,” Jesus was able to read his mind-a proof that he indeed was a prophet, endowed with divine knowledge.

Jesus did not care much about etiquette, when truth and justice were at stake. He masterfully turned the tables on the self-righteous Pharisee and lectured him, right there in his own house, about his “sins of omission,” all the practical demands of hospitality which he had failed to accord Jesus– while extolling the gestures of affection accorded him by the “sinful” woman. Simon learned the hard way Jesus’ teaching: “Do not judge, that you may not be judged. Do not condemn, that you may not be condemned … s s (Luke 6:37).

Jesus explains the behavior of the sinful woman with the parable of the two debtors. Her acts of kindness and affection toward Jesus were an expression of gratitude, knowing that her sins, her many sins, had been forgiven or were about to be forgiven. She could sense forgiveness in Jesus’ welcoming attitude-just as she could sense rejection in Simon’s judgmental attitude.

We must not conclude from today’s gospel that Jesus loves sinners more than he does the just. Of course not. What the gospel wants to tell us is that Jesus loves the sinner’s humility and repentance, while he detests the pride of the self-righteous. That is a constant found in all four gospels: “1have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (Lk. 5:32).

as published in the Parish Bulletin, June 16, 2013

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