Thursday, September 16, 2021

 Memorial of Saint Cornelius, pope and martyr, and Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr

(I Timothy 4:12-16; Luke 7:36-50)

Today’s gospel can help one understand the controversy around Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian.    Cornelius was pope during the Decian martyrdom of Christians (250 A.D.).  A priest named Novatian taught those who had apostatized during persecution, called lapsi, could not be forgiven even if they repented their sins.  Cornelius with Cyprian’s encouragement ruled to the contrary.  He held that the lapsi after repentance and due penance could be given the sacraments. 

In the gospel Jesus has no trouble forgiving the sins of the sinful woman who shows great repentance.  He must argue the point with Simon the Pharisee, who is blind to his small sins which might include disdain for both the sinful women and Jesus. Belying Simon’s self-notation, Jesus proves himself to be a prophet in three ways.  He knows what Simon is thinking.  He chastises Simon for his contempt.  And he forgives the woman’s sin.

Many of us act like the Simon, the Pharisee.  Our sins are not egregious, but we are often blind to them.  We should heed what Jesus says and does.  He warns us of exaggerating our goodness, and he is ready to forgive those who repent of their faults.

Monday, September 13, 2021

 Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor of the Church

(I Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 7:1-10)

The eloquent John Chrysostom (John, the golden mouth”) was a social reformer.  As archbishop of Constantinople, he refused to host expensive social gatherings and built hospitals with the money at his disposal.  These measures made him popular with the people but repugnant to the emperor and some church officials.  John died in exile after criticizing the empress for extravagance.

Jesus’ relations with the civil authority in today’s fares much better.  The centurion or head of Roman garrison in Capernaum asks Jesus to heal his house slave.  Jesus is willing to go, but the centurion sends a message that he did not mean to bother Jesus so.  He only asks that Jesus “to say the word,” which probably means offer a prayer for his slave.  In many places in Luke’s gospel the people are “amazed” with Jesus.  In this case, however, Jesus is “amazed” with the faith of this centurion.

Reform is always difficult.  We get used to comforts and don’t want to give them up.  Nevertheless, we should be ready to embrace genuine reform, like John Chrysostom promotes, that takes us back to Jesus.  Like the centurion, we want to ask his intercession before the Father for moral and spiritual as well as physical strength.