Ad Jesum per Mariam

Jesus Tells Us …. Go In Peace, Your Sins are Forgiven

Jesus Tells Us …. Go In Peace, Your Sins are Forgiven Among the contribution of Pope Benedict 16th ‘s papacy was a rekindling in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Pope wrote several series / books on Jesus Christ. In one of the Pope’s writings, he speaks of the Gospel. He explains when many read the Gospel, they look at it as ordinary words … as the Good News of Jesus Christ. In the Roman times, the words Good News meant that the Romans were victorious in battle and would share the Good News with Rome’s king. St. Paul Defines The Term Good News Paul uses this term in the first reading. I bring you the Good News. For Paul, the Good News is that Jesus was nailed to The Cross, died and was Resurrected from the dead. This is the Good News for all mankind. The Resurrection of Jesus, and what it means, is why we have the Catholic Church. It is why we are Christians and worship the Lord at Mass. Why Does Paul Emphasize Our Lord’s Death in Speaking of the Resurrection? Why does Paul emphasize the Resurrection after the death of Jesus? Indeed, why focus on death when discussing the Resurrection? Why? Because Our Lord’s death was a brutal death . . . a death on The Cross. In Roman times, the cross was a symbol of power for the army … for Rome . . . for the secular world. Which means all the powers of the world have no power than that of God. The Resurrection shows us there is a more perfect world to come . . . the kingdom of God in Heaven! So, what is the lesson for us? We cannot live in this world as though this is the end. There is a resurrection and a new world to come; we will be in communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Gospel Story of the Anointing of Jesus Feet Today’s Gospel is the story of Mary washing and anointing the feet of Jesus. Her life is perceived by the religious leader . . . she is a sinner. Jesus says she loves Him and He knows of her sins. He forgives her sins. In the Homily we hear more about this story. The Gospel today tells us God is merciful. The end of the Gospel . . . we hear the same words we hear within the sacrament of Reconciliation. Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to: Jesus Tells Us …. Go In Peace, Your Sins are Forgiven --------------------------------- Image: The Anointing of Jesus’ Feet: French Painter: James Tissot: 1900 This painting resides at The Brooklyn Museum. --------------------------------- Gospel Reading: Luke: 7: 36-50 First Reading: 1 COR: 15: 1-11

Broadcast on:: 25 Sep 2024
Audio Format:: other

"The Lord be with you," a reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke, 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 the table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to breathe to bath 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 500 days wedges and the other owed 50. 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 busted them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not seized 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 how many sins have been forgiven, hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is given loves little." He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The others at the table said to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives the sins?" But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you, go in peace." The gospel of the Lord. Among the many contributions of the papacy of Pope Benedict the 16th was to show especially to Europe, to rekindle in them the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? And he spent his time as a theologian writing different series of books known as the Jesus of Nazareth. And in one of the pages of these different series of his writing, he speaks of the gospel. And he explains that when we read the gospel, we look at it as if it is just an ordinary word as we have understood it as good news in relation to Jesus Christ. And in the Roman word, the word "good news," which he calls a Uangarion, was literally a battle cry when the army of Caesar have gone out to fight and they have won the battle, they would send a messenger to go and bring the good news, the Uangarion, to the king that we are victorious in battle. And this is the same way that the poor in the festi is using, the festi reading is using. I bring you the good news, the gospel in which you are established. And the gospel in Paul's mind is that it is that Jesus died on the cross, this I received as the festi fruits, Jesus died on the cross, he was buried, and he rose again on the dead day. That's the good news, that's the cry for the battle because it is in this reality that we are here as Christians, is the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus, that it definitely happened after his death. Why Paul emphasizes on the death? Because this death was a brutal death, a death on the cross. As I have always emphasized the importance of the cross, this was what he is saying here, the Roman power, the symbol of the power of the world, of the secular world, is the cross. And it is on that cross that Jesus has died. Which means all the powers of the world have no power than that of God. And then the resurrection shows us that he is, this world we live in is not it. I don't want to suggest that the world is bad, there are many good things, but the resurrection of Jesus points us to a more perfect world that God is inviting us to. So we cannot live in this world as though this is the end in itself. There is a world that happens with the resurrection, where we will be in communion with the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit and thirdly, there is the hope in the resurrection. Hope for all those that are when Jesus dies on the cross, he forgave those that crucified Him, meaning that even those that we are seen as have the hope that we will be forgiven, that he sins can be forgiven, that sin has no last weight on us. So this brings us perfectly into the gospel we have proclaimed today. There comes a woman where Jesus is at table with the Pharisee. And this Pharisee looking at what the woman is doing, anointing the feet of Jesus, he thinks in his heart that he, if this man was a prophet, could have known that this woman is a sin in town, whatever that means, he is a sin in town, her life is not supposed to be alive that would be presented before Jesus Christ. She is supposed to be condemned and doomed, but Jesus says, tends to her, tends to him and say, look at her. She has loved much and in loving much because she knows how much sin she has committed and therefore she is coming for forgiveness. Sometimes in ministry as I go alone, in ministry I have encountered the people who come to me and say, Father, I have sinned myself. I don't think God will ever forgive me for what I have done. I have done so bad things that I have no hope that God can forgive me and then they come often and confess the same sin because they think they haven't been forgiven. And the gospel today tells us that God is massive, however your sin may be, it may be as red, as crimson, when you come to him, he is ready to wash you as white as wool. This is what happens and the end of the gospel is giving us the exact words that I use in a confessional box. When the priest has given you an absolution, he says, go in peace, your sins are forgiven. And when Jesus had spoken to the woman, the last words were, woman for your faith you have been saved. Go in peace. Each one of us has sinned. If you have no sin, thank God you must be the only one who is already living in heaven and only here on earth, but all of us are sinners. We need to hear those words once again, your sins are forgiven, go in peace. Therefore, the church provides us with the sacrament of reconciliation. The sacrament that invites us because we have received the gospel, the good news that however bad your sin was is going to be forgiven. Because God gave his son to die on the cross, not only dying on the cross, but to go to the underworld and bring out those that had died well and in the shell underground. It is that love of God that searches us even in the death of death that today the gospel invites us, go in peace, your sins are forgiven. [BLANK_AUDIO]