ELE\TENTH ST]NDAY FIRST READING: 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 73 ORDINARY TIME IN A reading from the second book of Samuel. YEAR C The prophet Nathan said to David, "This is what God told me to tell you. PRAYER OF THE DAY: 'I anointed you and made you king of Israel. Forgiving God, I savedyou when Saul tried to kill you. I made you ruler over all of Israel and Judah. anyone who has done wrong And I toldyou that I would give you everything. can come back to you 'Why, then, have you not obeyed me? Jesus. through Why have you done evil things? We are sorry You sent Uriah into the war so he would be killed! for going our own w&y, Andyou killed him so that you could marry his wife. for not loving you as we ought. Because of the bad example of your sin, people in your family May we see the smile will continue to kill and be killed.' " of your forgiveness. When David heard this, he said to Nathan, We make this prayer to you through Christ our Lord. "Yes, I have sinned against God. I confess it." Nathan said to David, "God has forgiven you. You will be saved." The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSF: Psalm 51

RESPONSE:

<> ln your kind-ness,O my God,have mer-cy on me, have mer-cy on me.

VE RSES: to Response FOCUS OF THE RE{)INGS: Both of our readings focus on God's forgiveness. In the first 1, I know- that I have sinned and done what is wrong, 2. O God- for- give my sins and make my heart true. reading, Nathan reveals David's sin: he is responsible for the death of Uriah for clearly selfrsh motives. But David's confession is followed GOSPEL ACCI,AIVIATION : immediately by Nathan's assurance, "God has forgiven you." In our Gospel, Jesus points out - - the difference between the arrogance "Be-cause you believe, your sins are for-giv-en. Go in peace."Al-le lu ia! of the self-righteous (Simon) and the love of the woman who has been forgiven. God's forgiveness is not GOSPEL: Luke 7:36-50 meant to "hold us in check," as it were, but to arouse us to love. The A reading from the Gospel of Luke. focus is clear: One day a Pharisee named Simon Your sins are forgiuen. Go in peace. invited Jesus to come and eat with him. So Jesus went. 86 Now there was a certain woman in that city, and everyone knew she was a sinner. When she heard thatJesuswas havingdinnerat Simon's house, she came, bringing with her a jar of perfumed ointment. She knelt beside Jesus and began to cry. Her tears fell on his feet, and she dried them with her hair. She kissed his feet and put the perfumed ointment on them. When Simon, the Pharisee, saw all of this, he said to himself, "If Jesus were really a prophet, he would know that this woman is a sinner, and he wouldn't let her touch him." Jesus said to the Pharisee, "Simon, there is something I want to say to you." Simon said, "What is it, Teacher?" Jesus said, "There was a certain man who lent money to people, but two of them were not able to pay him back. One owed him 50 silver coins, and the other one owed him 500 silver coins. The man told both of them that they didn't have to pay him back. Nowwhich of these two do you think will love the man the most?" Simon answered, "I suppose it would be the one who owed the man the most money." Jesus said, "You are right." Then Jesus looked at the woman who was there, and he said to Simon, "Look at this wonun. When I came into your home, REFLECTING ON THE READINGS you didn't give me anywater to wash my feet. WITH CHILDREN: But this womEux has washed my feet with her tears After the Gospel, ask the children and dried themwith her hair. to recall what they heard. Who was You didn't kiss me when I came in, there? What did they say and do? but she has been kissing my feet since she came. a]l of the details and You didn't even anoint my head with oil, A]low time for but she has put perfumed ointment on my feet! even a bit of visualizing this dramatic I tell you that all of her sins have been forgiven. story. Concentrate for a while on the And you see how much she loves! attitude of Simon. Is our attitude But people who are forgiven only a little sometimes like his: rejecting those will only love a little." who do wrong? The point of the storY Then Jesus said to the woman, is that Jesus doesn't reject those who "Yes, your sins are forgiven." do wrong. The people who were there at the dinner said to each other, This may be a good Sunday to "Who is this man who forgives sins?" help the children understand that Jesus said to the woman, confessing our faults (to one another "Because you believed, your sins are completely forgiven. or sacramentatly) should be joyful. Go in peace." We don't euer haue to be afraid to say we haue done wrong because Jesus The Gospel of the Lord alwa.ys says, "You,r sins are forgiuen. Go in peace."

87 Year C Eleventh Sunday of the Year Then Jesus said, "Simon, you did not offer me water to wash with, a kiss as a greeting, or perfume Jesus forgives a sinner to refresh me. This u/ornan has done dl these things and rnore. Surely everphing she has done Irnnooucrrox v/rong has been forgiven for her to show such It is never easy to say sorry to admit our mistakes, great love." or to ask for forgiveness. showed us that he Jesus Then Jesus said ro the woman, "Your faith has will always welcome us back to the joy of his love, saved you! Go now, your sins have been forgiven." whatever we have done wrong. Drscussrox Srcx or rrm Cnoss As a Pharisee, Simon was very religious and took great pride in obeying the laws. He felt annoyed Lrcnr rHE CANDr^Es and embarrassed to have a sinful woman in his Sing the Candle Song as the candles are lit. own home. He could not understand why Jesus dlowed this sinner to stay, instead of sending her Sonnv away. Read the following prayer: Jesus treated the woman with kindness and Do not be afraid; pity. However bad we have been, God is ready to God will dways love you. forgive us when vye are truly sorry. Jesus came to tilThatever you have done, save sinners and to bring them back to God's love. God will dways love you. Those who need Godt forgiveness most feel As a father loves his child, the greatest joy when they are forgiven. Jesus com- God will dways love you. pared this wornan to the servant with the huge Come back to him and know, debt who loved his master all the more because he God's love lasts forever. had been pardoned so much. To tell God that we are sorry for all our mis- Gr.onre, takes we can say an Act of Contrition, a special prayer for saying sorry and making peace with 'We Crosprr Accr.Aue.rron God. use this prayer in the sacrament of rec- Alleluia, dleluia! onciliation, but it is dso a good prayer to say every Jesus said, "Love one another night before we go to sleep. as I have loved you." Alleluia, dleluia! Acrrvrrt Copy the Act of Contrition for each child to color Gosprr (Luxr 7$G5O) and to use at home. One of the Pharisees, called Simon, invited Jesus to dinner. A woman who had done many things Cnrrp she was ashamed of heard that Jesus would be there, and came ro find him. She knelt at his feet Crosnrc Pnevrn and began to cry wiping his feet dry with her long Help us Lord, to come to you hair before covering them with kisses and per- and ask for your forgiveness fumed ointment. so that we will know the joy Simon was annoyed thatJesus would dlow such of making our peace with you. a person near him. But Jesus knew what Simon was thinking and asked him, "If one servant owed Now read the Act of Contrition together. his,master fifty pounds and another owed his mas- ter five thousand poun&, which one would love his master more if the debts were canceled?" "The one who owed more," Simon answered.

292 e O mg God \ qm strrg &r hqving sinned qgqinsf Uou. I Becquse gou oYe so good, E ond with gour {a@, t will frg not to srn ogoio. Arnen. Eleventh Sunday of the Year

Focus Activity A Bible open at today's Gospel, with a candle next to it, After the woman had anointed the feet of Jesus, the and petals or scented pot pourri scattered around them. room was filled with fragrant perfume. The fragrance of Christ is the fragrance of love, which we leave lntroduction when we serve and love one another. To remind us of this, help the children to create their own'perfume' A disciple of ]esus is someone who, first and foremost, parcels. You could use ready prepared pot pourri or knows the love of Jesus and willingly shares that love dried lavender, or alternatively mix a selection of with others. In today's Gospel a sinful woman offers us dried flowers, spices and peel in a large bowl, and a model of true discipleship with her humble act of add a few drops of perfumed oil. Help the children service and devotion to Jesus her Lord. to spoon some of the scented mixture into small bags made from fabric scraps. Secure the bags with elastic Gloria bands or ribbon.

Gospel Acclamation lntercessions Light the Gospel candle and sing Acclamation 5. As brothers and sisters in one loving family, together let us pray to our heavenly Father: Gospel We bring to God's forgiving love (7:36-8:3) A reading from the Gospel of St Luke his Church and all his people; (See page 389.) may those who have lost their way rediscover the path that leads to his love. Reflection Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. When the women found Jesus ot the house of Simon the We bring to God's forgiving love Phqrisee, whot did she do? nations and races divided by hatred and prejudice; She began by washing his feet with her tears, as she may the power of God's love wept with sorrow for all the things that she had done help us to be understanding and forgiving. wrong. Washing feet was part of the host's duties and was usually carried out by servants. This gesture of love Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. showed her willingness to serve ]esus humbly. We bring to God's forgiving love What did the womon do next? prisoners and the families who share their suffering; may we offer compassion instead of judgement. After washing his feet, she anointed them with an expen- sive, fragrant perfume. (The other Gospel accounts of Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. this incident suggest that the woman used 'nard', an We bring to God's forgiving love aromatic plant that yielded an expensive perfumed oil.) those who exploit or destroy our world because of greed; just She didn't use one or two drops, but poured out the may they recognise the wonder of God's creation as a gesture generous perfume of her extravagant and and respect the gift entrusted to our care. love for ]esus. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer, Then whot did she do? Knowing that our heavenly Father is listening, Instead of using a towel to wipe away the oil, the woman in the silence of our hearts untied her long hair and used it to dry the feet of her let us share our own unspoken prayers with him. Lord. Respectable women of the time did not wear their hair loose in public, but she cared more about showing Silence fesus how much she loved him than about how others Loving Father, might judge her. you are full of mercy and compassion. Mould us in your image Why did her octions annoy Simon the Phorisee? and help us to become people of forgiveness. As a Pharisee, Simon obeyed and followed the Jewish Grant this through Christ our Lord. laws strictly and was proud of his goodness. This sinful Amen. woman had come into his house, fussed over his invited guest, and made him feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.

How did Jesus reoct? Jesus recognised the actions of one who loved him. She showed what it means to be a true disciple of ]esus: to serve and attend to the needs of others humbly, to give generously without considering the cost, and, above all else, to love as she was loved. He responded to her love and sorrow by forgiving all that she had done wrong.

296 ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

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