June 13, 2010
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

2 Sm 12:7-10, 13

Nathan said to David:

“Thus says the LORD God of Israel:

‘I anointed you king of Israel.

I rescued you from the hand of Saul.

I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives for your own.

I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah.

And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more.

Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight?

You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword;

you took his wife as your own,

and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites.

Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house,

because you have despised me

and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’

Then David said to Nathan,

“I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan answered David:

“The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:

R.     (cf. 5c)Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Blessed is the one whose fault is taken away,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,

in whose spirit there is no guile.

R.     Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

I acknowledged my sin to you,

my guilt I covered not.

I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”

and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R.     Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;

with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

R.     Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;

exult, all you upright of heart.

R.     Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Brothers and sisters:

We who know that a person is not justified by works of the law

but through faith in Jesus Christ,

even we have believed in Christ Jesus

that we may be justified by faith in Christ

and not by works of the law,

because by works of the law no one will be justified.

For through the law I died to the law,

that I might live for God.

I have been crucified with Christ;

yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me;

insofar as I now live in the flesh,

I live by faith in the Son of God

who has loved me and given himself up for me.

I do not nullify the grace of God;

for if justification comes through the law,

then Christ died for nothing.

Lk 7:36—8:3 or 7:36-50Gospel Reading

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,

and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

Now there was a sinful woman in the city

who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.

Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,

she stood behind him at his feet weeping

and began to bathe his feet with her tears.

Then she wiped them with her hair,

kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,

“If this man were a prophet,

he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,

that she is a sinner.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“Simon, I have something to say to you.”

“Tell me, teacher, ” he said.

“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;

one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.

Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.

Which of them will love him more?”

Simon said in reply,

“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”

He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,

“Do you see this woman?

When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,

but she has bathed them with her tears

and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss,

but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.

You did not anoint my head with oil,

but she anointed my feet with ointment.

So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven

because she has shown great love.

But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The others at table said to themselves,

“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

But he said to the woman,

“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another,

preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.

Accompanying him were the Twelve

and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,

Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,

Susanna, and many others who provided for them

out of their resources.

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:

Nathan was allowed to access The Loving Programmer, and told David what He had done for him.  Nathan enumerated the great blessings The Loving Programmer had written and downloaded upon David, reprogramming much of the world around him so that he would be in charge of it, and all of his brothers.  Then, The Loving Programmer had Nathan ask David why he had ignored The Loving Programmer's Operating Instructions, murdered Uriah, and took his wife, using David's enemies to kill his own soldier.  Similar to the punishment given mankind because of the apple in the garden, David's punishment would last for generations, and the sword would never leave his people, because he had willfully ignored The Loving Programmer and married the widow of the man he murdered.

David recognized, and admitted, that he had willfully ignored The Loving Programmer.  (Because he was at least honest and didn't try to hide or justify his sin?) Nathan told him that The Loving Programmer had forgiven him, and that he would not be killed. 

(Since Bathsheba was already pregnant, the coming of the Messiah could have happened whether David was alive, or not.)

Loving Programmer, forgive me for disobeying Your Operating Instructions.

Blessed is he whose mistakes are erased, whose sins are deleted.  Blessed is he whom The Loving Programmer does not blame for his mistakes, and who is honest about his errors.

Loving Programmer, forgive me for disobeying Your Operating Instructions.

Loving Programmer, erase the wrong I have done.  I admitted I was wrong, and didn't insult you by thinking I could hide my error from you.  I admit and confess my mistakes, and You take away my guilt.

Loving Programmer, forgive me for disobeying Your Operating Instructions.

Loving Programmer, you are my protection, from distress you'll save me;  with glad cries telling me I am free from being punished, you will let me know.

Loving Programmer, forgive me for disobeying Your Operating Instructions.

Be glad that The Loving Programmer has programmed you, and rejoice, you who strive to follow His Operating Instructions.

Loving Programmer, forgive me for disobeying Your Operating Instructions.

My fellow believers, we know that we can't work our way into Heaven, but that we'll get there by believing in Jesus Christ (The Program, Who took human form and came among us that the prophecies might be fulfilled and we, by believing, be saved).  We didn't work our way to Him by following the law, because that won't help us (much) with The Programmer.  But, through His, and man's, rules, I died to them, downloading His Operating Instructions so that I would choose to live through them.  My old self has been done away with, and it was painful, a form of crucifixion.  I am done with that person, now, I have emptied myself of my own will and only do His.  While I'm stuck in my body for awhile, I follow His Operating Instructions, and live by my belief in Him, The Son, The Living Program, Who died for me.  I live (both in my old life and in my new) through the Grace of The Loving Programmer.  If mere laws could have gotten me here, He came and died for nothing.

A legalistic man asked Jesus (The Living Program, Who took human form to fulfil the prophecies and give all an opportunity to be saved) to have dinner with him, and Jesus went in and reclined at the table. There was a sinful woman in the city who found He was there.  She brought an alabaster flask of what must have been expensive ointment, and stood behind Him, at His feet, weeping with sorrow (over her sins).  She washed His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and anointed them with ointment.

When the legalistic host saw this, He said to himself, "If Jesus were a prophet, he'd know that this is a very bad sinner."

Jesus knew how the legalistic mind worked, and what it was thinking, so asked

"Simon, I have a legal question for you."

"What is it?", asked the Pharisee.

"Two people owed money to a man.  One owed five hundred days of wages, the other, fifty.

Neither had the money to repay the debt, so he forgave them, both. 

Which one will love him the most?"

The legalistic Pharisee replied, "My supposition would be the one who was forgiven the most would love him more."

Jesus told him, "You're correct."  Then, He turned to the woman, and said to the legalistic Simon, "Do you see this woman?  When I came inside, you didn't give me water for my feet, but she washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair.

"You didn't give me a kiss of greeting, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I came in.

"You didn't anoint my head with oil, but she covered my feet with ointment.  So, her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love (for God).  But, the one to whom little is forgiven doesn't love very much."

Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  The others at the table said (in astonishment at His statement), "Who has the authority to forgive people for having done wrong?"

He ignored them, and said to the woman, "Your faith has reconciled you to The Loving Programmer.  Go in peace."

Afterward, He went from town to town and village to village.  He told people the good news about The Loving Programmer and how they could be uploaded into His Program. 

The 12 Disciples went with Him, along with some women who had their souls, minds, and bodies re-programmed to get rid of errors within them.

One was Mary, known as Magdalene.  He had driven seven demons from her.  Joanna, the wife of an important man in Herod's Administration, (had left everything to follow Him, causing her husband much embarrassment?) and many other were there.  They paid many of the expenses from what they took with them as they traveled.