Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 7:36-50)
When preaching, Bishop Robert Barron often refers to himself
as a sinner. He does not confess his
sins publicly. Rather, he reminds his
audience that they, like he, stand in need of forgiveness. Unlike Bishop Barron, the Pharisee in today’s
gospel does not acknowledge his sins.
Yet he judges the woman who anoints Jesus as a sinner. Meanwhile, the woman openly demonstrates that
she is a sinner seeking God’s forgiveness.
As in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector, she will go
home justified while the Pharisee remains in his unacknowledged sins.
People often have difficulty remembering their sins. They can frustrate priests in Confession when
they almost brag that they have not sinned.
Probably the dramatic decrease in confessions over the last century has
been caused by people not recognizing how they have offended God. Yet it is a special grace to become aware of
one’s sins so that one can receive forgiveness.
We do well to make an examination of conscience at the end
of every day. We might write down our
offenses against Lord and neighbor. We
will want to bring these sins to Confession.
This practice will also help us avoid committing the same sins in the
future.
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