Sunday Connection
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Sunday, June 12, 2016
First Reading
2 Samuel 12:7-10,13
God's judgment on David for taking another man's wife
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 32, 1-2,5,7,11
A prayer for forgiveness.
Second Reading
Galatians 2:16,19-21
We are justified through faith in Jesus Christ.
Gospel Reading
Luke 7:36—8:3
A sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Before Lent began we were reading Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount, which is known as the Sermon on the Plain. Today's Gospel passage is taken from the following chapter of Luke's Gospel. The concern of this chapter, as well as in Chapters 8 and 9, is Jesus' identity as the Messiah, one who is greater than a prophet. Throughout the chapter Jesus has been performing miracles similar to those done by Old Testament prophets. When John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask who he was, Jesus listed the miracles they had seen him perform and then compared himself with John the Baptist to show that he was greater than John.
In today's Gospel Jesus sits down to eat a meal at the house of Simon, a Pharisee. A sinful woman approaches him, falls to her knees, wets his feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, and then anoints them with oil. A similar scene occurs in the other three Gospels, but in those versions the anointing takes place in Bethany, near Jerusalem, before Passover. In the other three Gospels, this anointing is related to his being proclaimed king by the crowds when he entered Jerusalem. It also related to his being anointed as a preparation for his burial. In Luke the anointing takes place north, in Galilee, early in his ministry.
Simon the Pharisee challenges Jesus, telling him that a prophet would surely know that a sinful person was touching him. Jesus responds by telling a story about the true nature of forgiveness. Two men owe money. One owes an amount that would equal 500 days' wages. The other owes 50 days' wages. Yet the moneylender forgives the debt of both when they ask him. Simon is forced to admit that the one who had the bigger debt canceled probably loves the moneylender more.
After telling the story, Jesus turns to the woman and tells her that her sins are forgiven. In this scene we see that Jesus does more than heal physical ailments, as prophets of the past had done. He also forgives sins. This leaves the crowd to ask, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” This question is answered in Chapter 9 by Peter when he professes that Jesus is the Messiah and at the Transfiguration when the voice from heaven declares, “This is my chosen Son.”
Today's reading ends with the first three verses of Chapter 8. At first they may seem unconnected to the scene that has come before. But they serve to show Jesus' ministry beginning to move from one town and village to another, proclaiming the Kingdom of God, until he eventually arrives in Jerusalem. He is accompanied not just by the Twelve but by a group of women, three of whom Luke names. It is significant that they are linked with the Twelve, and they seem to be equally important to Jesus' ministry. It is the women who provide for the needs of these travelers out of their own resources. Although in Palestinian society women had a much lesser role than men, in Luke's Gospel they are shown as equals.
Gospel Reading
Luke 7:36—8:3
A sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet.
Making the Connection (Grades 1, 2, and 3)
Children at this age enjoy playing games and are familiar with the phrase “do over,” meaning that if you take your turn and things don't go as planned, you get to go again—a second chance. This image provides a simple introduction to the forgiveness of sins that Jesus offers.
Materials Needed
- Several tangled piles of paper clips, rubber bands, and yarn or string.
Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings
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Arrange the children in groups of three or four. Provide each group with a tangled pile of paper clips, rubber bands, and yarn or string.
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Direct each group to separate the items in their tangled pile and see which group can accomplish the task first.
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When they are finished, tell the children that in this Sunday's Gospel we are going to be learning about forgiveness. Explain that we use a special word to describe what happens to us when our sins are forgiven: we receive absolution.
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Write the word absolution on the board.
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Tell the children that the word absolution comes from the Latin ab solvere which means “to loosen from” or “to separate.”
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Explain that just as they worked to separate the items in their tangled pile, we sometimes become tangled up in sin and need to be loosed or separated from sin by Jesus' forgiveness.
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Say: In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus helps a woman become untangled from sin.
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Read aloud Luke 7:36—8:3.
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Ask: What does Jesus say to the woman near the end of the story? (Your sins are forgiven.) Jesus gives the woman absolution— forgives her sins—and helps her love again. In the same way, Jesus can help us get untangled from sin. All we have to do is accept the forgiveness that he offers us.
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Conclude by praying together the Act of Contrition, emphasizing how this prayer helps us to prepare to receive absolution—forgiveness of sins.
Gospel Reading
Luke 7:36—8:3
A sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet.
Making the Connection (Grades 4, 5, and 6)
Children at this age enjoy playing games and are familiar with the phrase “do over,” meaning that if you take your turn and things don't go as planned, you get to go again—a second chance. This image provides a simple introduction to the forgiveness of sins that Jesus offers.
Materials Needed
- None
Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings
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Arrange the children in groups of three or four and have them write a list of what they consider to be the top five video games for kids their age.
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When they are finished, invite them to share their lists with the entire group.
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Invite volunteers to share how often they play video games.
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Tell the children that one of the reasons that people, especially young people, enjoy playing video games is that you always get to try again.
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Talk about how frustrating it would be to purchase a video game that never allowed you to play again if you lost the first time.
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Explain that second chances encourage us to try harder to improve on our previous attempts.
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Compare this to the second chances that God gives us through forgiveness of sins. Say: In this Sunday's Gospel, we hear a story about a woman who received another chance through Jesus' forgiveness of sins.
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Invite volunteers to read aloud Luke 7:36—8:3.
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Ask: What did Simon the Pharisee think about the woman who anointed Jesus' feet? (he thought she was a sinner, not worthy of a second chance). Jesus, however, offers the woman forgiveness and explains that forgiveness of sins leads to greater love. Today and everyday, we pray for forgiveness of our sins and for the grace we need to show greater love to others.
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Conclude by praying together the Act of Contrition, emphasizing how it is like asking for another chance
Gospel Reading
Luke 7:36—8:3
A sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet.
Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)
For young people at this age, relationships are extremely important. Emphasize that forgiveness is the key to a healthy relationship with God.
Materials Needed
- Small index cards
- Scissors
Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings
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Remind the young people that we often look to other people to provide repairs for us when something breaks down.
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Ask them to name examples of repairs that they have seen take place in their homes.
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Tell the young people that we ask certain people to do repairs for us because they are good at it.
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Ask them to think about what they are good at and what other people might ask them to repair.
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Encourage the young people to think not only about repairing objects but also about repairing things such as friendships, feelings, confidence, and so on.
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Provide small index cards to the young people and have them cut it to the size and shape of a business card.
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Have them print their name on the card, along with the description of the type of repairs that they can provide for other people.
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Allow sufficient time for them to complete their work and then invite volunteers to share their business cards with the entire group.
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If possible, display their cards. Tell them that in this Sunday's Gospel, they will be learning about how our relationship with God can be repaired only through the forgiveness that Jesus offers to us.
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Invite volunteers to read aloud Luke 7:36—8:3.
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Ask for volunteers to summarize the passage in their own words. Ask: What does Jesus say is the key to showing great love? (having many sins forgiven)
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Say: If we are truly sorry for our sins and accept Jesus' forgiveness, we will be able to show great love to God and to one another.
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Conclude by praying together the Act of Contrition.
Gospel Reading
Luke 7:36—8:3
A sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet.
Family Connection
Families are familiar with the concept of an IOU. Children especially are in the habit of borrowing from one another and owing something to someone. In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus tells a story of two people who owe different amounts of money to a creditor. One owes a small amount and the other owes a large amount. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which person will be happier about having the debt forgiven!
Talk as a family about times that various family members have borrowed from one another or owed something to one another. Share with your children the realities of being a homeowner and owing money on a house, a car, and other possessions. With these realities in mind, read aloud Luke 7:36—8:3. Discuss what it would feel like to have your debts forgiven. Talk about how, because of the forgiveness of sins we receive from Jesus, we owe a debt of gratitude to God.
Conclude by praying together the Lord's Prayer. Emphasize that the words, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” are sometimes translated as “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”