24th Thursday in Ordinary Time - Year A

Hi, this is Father Nick Smith, pastor of St. Patrick's in Perry.

The Lord shows us the beautiful lesson today that charity, signs of love, are powerful enough by the grace of God to forgive sins.

This woman, this sinful woman who comes to Jesus in the house of the Pharisee shows concrete signs of love to the Lord.

Her love was not just one of thought or desire or wishful thinking, but she showed her love in deeds.

This is the love of the Christian, a love that expresses itself in concrete deeds done in the body, done to real people.

This is something we should never forget that our concrete deeds done for love of God are worth so much.

They are so precious in the eyes of God, even should they be hidden, isolated from the world.

No one sees them but God alone.

Maybe we're the only one in the whole entire world who knows what we are doing for someone else.

The Lord sees them and he's so pleased by them just as he was in the house of the Pharisee by this sinful woman.

He's so moved that he forgives her sins.

So for us in the life of grace, the life of charity is powerful unto the forgiveness of sins.

So may we seek to exercise this charity in concrete deeds, in ways big but mostly small, ways that are person to person.

Person to person charity, love of neighbor is incredibly powerful in the eyes of God.

She has been forgiven, hence she has shown great love.

May the same be said for all of us.

May God bless you and let us continue praying for each other.