The gospel for today (Lk 7:36-50) tells of Jesus encounter with “a sinful woman” at a dinner party to which He was a guest.  It was at the invitation of a certain Simon the Pharisee that Jesus went to his house for the meal.  The woman, finding out about this, goes also and bathes Jesus’ feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and pours fragrant ointment on them as well.  Simon disapproves of the woman, because of her past, in his thoughts.  Jesus, knowing this, asks him who loves more: the man forgiven a large debt or the man forgiven only a fraction of that amount?  Simon judges the latter, and Jesus approves.  He then commends the woman for her greeting, which Simon did not come close to giving Jesus.  To the amazement of the guests Jesus says the words above and then tells the woman to go in peace as her faith has saved her.  Do we, like the woman, show great love to Jesus for His forgiveness?  Maybe we think we are not “great sinners” like this woman, so the cases are apples and oranges.  All sin is abhorrent to God.  Unlike this woman, we have the benefit of knowing that Jesus died to save us all and took every sin, mortal or venial, upon Himself.  By His stripes we are healed.  What do we not owe the Lord for what He has done for us?  Total devotion is the only acceptable goal for us.  This manifests itself on earth on how we treat others.  To love others as God loves them is that for which we are to strive.

Today’s reading (Lk 7:31-35) gives us the conclusion of Jesus’ discourse to the people regarding John the Baptist.  Jesus tells them that John fasted and was a teetotaler and he was declared possessed.  Now Jesus comes eating and drinking and is called a glutton and drunkard.  But, Jesus concludes with the line above.  We might first recall Paul telling us that “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” (1 Cor 1:25).  For many, but particularly the Jewish religious leaders of the day, John was not expected.  His message did not appeal to them and his lifestyle reinforced their disdain for him.  Likewise, Jesus also was not, in their view, based on incorrect preconceived notions, who He claimed to be.  In the verse in 1 Cor immediately preceding the one just mentioned, Paul calls “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24).  So the people who encountered Jesus were looking at Wisdom Incarnate.  And John, always pointing toward “the one who is to come” (Lk 7:20), didn’t tell the people what they wanted to hear but what they needed to hear — another mark of authentic wisdom.  It would soon become evident to the people based on the explosion of the “Jesus movement” that the wisdom of God is truly vindicated by the number of children (i.e., adherents) who take the message of Jesus to heart, spread it boldly and confidently, and sometimes die for it.  But “those who despise wisdom and instruction are doomed” (Wis 3:11).

Leaving Capernaum, Jesus and His followers go to Nain (Lk 7:11-17).  Before even entering the city He encounters the funeral procession of the only son of a widow.  Pitying her and then comforting her he stops the mourners.  Touching the coffin he tells the dead man to rise — which he does.  Fear seizes the observers followed by glorifying God.  Word spreads quickly of Jesus.  Jesus’ pity is not saved for just this woman or for the several other episodes in the gospels where Jesus expresses this emotion.  It also comes to all of us who suffer grievous loss.  But Jesus is also there to comfort us and maybe even to raise us up from a deep sadness or depression or from wallowing in sin.  Conversation with God in prayer is a saving grace, even when (or especially when) we don’t seem to get anything from it.  Our Father, knowing best, will provide for us in due time.  If consolations are gone and the silent treatment from God seems to be the rule of the day, week, month or year, remember that faith and trust are not exercised in the good times, but rather in the bad.  And when, inevitably, we see the good that comes from our challenge, like the witnesses of today’s final reading, we too will hopefully “spread the report” of the powerful way God acts in us and through us.

Yesterday’s reading moved us into Luke 7 (vv. 1-10).  Now in Capernaum, a centurion hears of Jesus’ visit.  The centurion sends Jewish elders (who strongly advocate for him) to Jesus to ask Him to heal his slave.  Jesus does go with them but, before reaching the centurion’s residence, the centurion sends friends to Jesus with the words above.  The Roman speaks of his own power of authority in the army in recognizing Jesus’ same capability as a healer.  Jesus, showing amazement of such faith to the crowd, effects the healing from afar just as the centurion knew He could.  Based on Jesus’ reaction (amazement) we can be sure that the soldier’s approach to Jesus was precisely the right one.  And so it should be our disposition as well.  In fact, right before receiving the Lord “under our roof” in Holy Communion we repeat the Roman’s words almost to the letter (a blessing of the new missal).  We are not worthy to receive the Lord.  He makes us worthy.  Humility means understanding our place as creatures and God’s place as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.  Without Him we don’t exist, we can’t gain eternal life, and we wouldn’t have the means of gaining heaven.  A pagan man understood it better than any other hearer of Jesus.  Another humbling thought for Jesus’ disciples and for us.  This episode is recorded so that we too may come to have the same attitude.

On the road to Caesarea Philippi, Jesus takes the opportunity to teach His disciples (Mk 8:27-35).  First He asks them who people say that He is.  He gets a variety of answers.  When He asks who they think He is, Peter speaks up for the group saying that He is the Christ.  Jesus warns them not to repeat this to others.  Then Jesus tells them about His upcoming rejection, death, and resurrection.  Peter rebukes Him for such talk, to which Jesus responds by calling him Satan and then following this with the words above.  Reaching their destination, Jesus calls the disciples and the crowd together, telling them that they must deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him, losing their lives for His sake and the gospel’s sake.  Jesus’ reprimand of Peter should make us consider God’s will in our lives.  What occasions cause us or at least tempt us to think or behave in a way that seems wise or practical on a human level but do not comport with what God has revealed?  Do we miss opportunities to defend the Faith because we don’t want to stir the pot, expose ourselves to a backlash, or lack confidence in our ability to do so?  Are we reticent to call out sin and evil in society because we might be branded a bigot or intolerant?  Are public expressions of our beliefs in secular settings off-limits to us because we are embarrassed to call attention to our religion?  In a society increasingly hostile to religion, especially Christianity, we must be willing to lose the “safe” life we lead and put out into the deep for the Lord, even if it means being rejected as He was.  We become prepared to do this by repentance, prayer, and study of Scripture and Church teaching.  May we never again miss an opportunity to witness to the Faith.

Fittingly, the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows follows the Exaltation of the Cross.  The gospel passage brings us to the foot of the cross, a few moments before Jesus’ death (Jn 19:25-27).  Mary, John, and some other women were with the Lord in His final agony.  From the cross, Jesus tells Mary the words above and then gives His mother to His dear apostle and friend John (who was to become the writer of this gospel).  We are told that from that moment, John became her caretaker.  These four short words of Jesus to His mother are extraordinarily rich.  “Woman” takes us back to Gen 3:15 with the promise of a “New Eve” whose offspring will crush demons.  “Behold your son”: Mary’s pierced heart sees her Son on the cross, totally following God’s will, giving Him up for our sakes.  Must she not have recalled the Annunciation, the visit to her cousin, Jesus’ birth, the visiting shepherds and Magi, His formative years, losing Him in Jerusalem, seeing Him off to His public ministry, His first miracle at Cana, and His many sermons and miracles.  Yes, she beheld her Son for thirty-odd years and she knew she was to behold Him again.  Yet this didn’t make the pain she felt at that moment, a suffering completely in union with her Son’s suffering, any less intense.  Then she looked at her son in the faith, John, who was to take care of her for her remaining days.  The only apostle to stay with the Lord until the end.  How grateful she must have been for his strength and ongoing commitment.  And finally, she beheld all of her children.  Just as Eve is the mother of all the living, Mary is the mother of the Church, of all those who live in Christ.  How she must grieve at the corruption and unfaithfulness of a world that her Son died for.  Let us comfort her by praying for her intercession, particularly by recourse to the rosary, for the conversion of society so that all might be washed clean by the copious blood that poured out of the Lamb (cf. Rev 7:14).

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross takes us back to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 (vv. 13-17).  Jesus explains to him that He has come down from heaven so that He can save those who believe in Him.  He does this for the reason stated in the headline.  Any believer must realize that God does love the world more than we can imagine.  God created everything good and man very good.  Yet the first men turned their backs on Him beginning millennia of defiance against God.  Despite this the Father sent the Son to redeem the fallen world when He just as easily could have destroyed it.  God, in Jesus, suffered and died at the hands of His creatures — the same ones He came to redeem.  This tremendous loving sacrifice has been met with more and more disdain as the centuries have gone by.  When we are tempted to think that an increasingly sinful and twisted world soon will (or should) be smitten by the Almighty, we should remember how much God loves us: to the death.  Rather than simply railing against the immorality of the world we should do something about it.  The first course of action is to rid ourselves of sin.  Let conversion of the world begin at home through more prayer, fasting, mortification, and frequent recourse to the sacraments on our parts.  Then as we progress we will be in better position to speak out and make a difference in an overt, outspoken way, but always out of love.  Jesus wants us to cooperate with him and with others to bring to society (or to remind them of) the good news of salvation.

Continuing the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus presents, arguably, His most challenging teaching (Lk 6:27-38).  Still addressing the disciples, Jesus speaks at length about loving one’s enemies (even if they curse or mistreat) and how that manifests itself (turn the other cheek, lend without expecting return, extend mercy).  The closing paragraph starts with the line above and continues on by saying than one shouldn’t condemn others but rather forgive.  How one measures this out will be how justice and mercy will be measured out when one enters the next life.  The message about judging is often misinterpreted or twisted to allow for sin.  The line is best read in light of the sentence about not condemning which follows it (and more broadly in the light of the entire Bible).  We can and should make rational judgments about the objective nature of an act.  If such an act is contrary to God’s moral law it is certainly not to be tolerated (toleration only pertains to goods, permissiveness to evil).  In fact, we have an obligation to call sin out when it is done publicly (and privately, although circumstances will dictate whether it is proper to make it public or to just address the matter with the perpetrator) (helpful are these verses).  We are to witness to the truth, even if it means going against an increasingly corrupted culture, and even if it results in a backlash to ourselves.  The frequent refrain, “Stop judging me!” should not intimidate us or silence us, since it is usually used to excuse wrong behavior.  Our response, rather, must be to speak the truth in love, gently but firmly, and continue to pray.  But we are not to take on the role of judge of that person’s eternal destiny.  That remains God’s purview alone.  We do not know the state of another’s soul or his culpability in any sinful behavior.  In this we are best mindful of the wooden beam in our own eye (Mt 7:1-5).

Luke’s so-called Sermon on the Plain, started yesterday, continues today with Jesus giving His disciples a list of blessings and woes (Lk 6:20-26) reminiscent of the Beatitudes.  Blessings are extended to the poor, hungry, weeping, and hated while woes are given to their opposites: the rich, the filled, the laughing, and the exalted.  Reward and punishment in the next life will be meted out based on one’s actions in this life.  Regarding the headline, Jesus follows those words by saying God’s prophets were treated the same way; it was only false witnesses that were highly thought of, as He points out in the last verse of this passage.  If all of the prophets, and of course Jesus Himself, suffered hatred, exclusion, and insults for the sake of speaking the truth, why should we expect different, especially in a world that, more and more, rejects God and His moral law?  Recall the Apostles reaction to such action taken against them: After being flogged and reprimanded by the Jewish religious leaders, they left “rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name” (Acts 5:41).    The head of these same Apostles, in his own letter, reiterates the point: “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Pt 4;14).  In a society growing increasingly hostile toward Christianity, we should consider it a badge of honor if we suffer because of our belief in Jesus.  We must always be bold in our faith.  Our reward here is a clear conscience and good example.  Our ultimate reward, if we persevere, is eternal life with the Truth we proclaimed and defended.

Today’s gospel reading (Lk 6:12-19) finds Jesus going to a mountain to pray and He keeps at it throughout the night.  At daybreak He calls the disciples and chooses from them the twelve apostles.  They all come down the mountain where a great crowd from far and wide come to hear Jesus teach, be healed of disease, and be exorcised.  They sought to touch Him so that His power would heal them, and it did heal them all.  Jesus prayed often, but it is before momentous occasions (as He prepared for public ministry [Mt 4:1-11], before His passion and death [Mt 26:38-44], and today’s recounting of His choosing Apostles) that we hear of lengthy conversations He had with His Father.  This is a call to us to imitate Christ.  Of course, we should pray regularly (Jesus did this too; see, for example, Lk 5:15-16) that our lives be conformed to Christ and that we represent Him well every day in every circumstance.  But when big events are approaching (e.g., a wedding, a new job or vocation, a big move) or difficult challenges lie ahead or have already begun (e.g., loss of work, major illness, death of a loved one) we should turn to extended and more frequent prayer for help, understanding, consolation.  Extended time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, a weekend or full week’s retreat if possible, immersion in Scripture and spiritual reading, and praying through the night if illness or worry cause insomnia are all ways to draw ourselves closer to God, to unite ourselves with Him, to offer everything we are and everything we have to Him (Remember: All good things come from God, anyway).  Jesus knew the power of prayer.  He wants us to know it as well.  And He is always available to listen to us and comfort us.