St Robert Bellarmine

Brothers,
I remind you of the Good News
that I proclaimed to you;
this Gospel you have received;
it is in it that you stand firm,
it is through it that you will be saved
if you hold to it as I announced it to you;
otherwise, your faith has been in vain.

First of all, I handed on to you
that which I myself received:
Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures,
and he was buried; he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures,
he appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve;
then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once
– most of whom are still alive,
and some have fallen asleep –,
then he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles.
And last of all, he appeared even to the one born abnormally, namely me.

For I am the least of the Apostles,
I am not worthy to be called an Apostle,
since I persecuted the Church of God.
But what I am,
I am by the grace of God,
and his grace, which came upon me, has not been without effect.
I worked harder than all the others;
truthfully, it was not I,
it was the grace of God with me.

In short, whether it is I or the others,
this is what we proclaim,
this is what you believe.

– The word of the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
his love endures forever!
Yes, let Israel say:
his love endures forever!

The Lord’s right hand is raised,
the Lord’s right hand is mighty!
No, I shall not die, but I shall live
to recount the deeds of the Lord.

You are my God, I give you thanks,
my God, I exalt you!
I give you thanks, for you have answered me:
you have become my salvation.

At that time,
a Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him.
Jesus entered his house
and reclined at table.
  A woman from the city, a sinner, appeared.
Having learned that Jesus was at table in the Pharisee’s house,
she brought an alabaster flask of perfume.
  Weeping, she stood behind him, at his feet,
and began to bathe Jesus’ feet with her tears.
She wiped them with her hair,
covered them with kisses,
and poured perfume on them.

  Seeing this,
the Pharisee who had invited Jesus said to himself:
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who is touching him,
and what sort of woman this is: a sinner.”
  Jesus spoke up and said to him:
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
—“Speak, Master.”
  Jesus continued:
“A creditor had two debtors; one owed him five hundred silver coins,
the other fifty.
  Since neither could pay him back,
he forgave both their debts.
Which of them will love him more?”
  Simon replied:
“I suppose it is the one to whom he forgave the greater debt.”
—“You have judged rightly,” Jesus said to him.
  He turned toward the woman and said to Simon:
“Do you see this woman?
I entered your house,
and you gave me no water for my feet;
she has bathed my feet with her tears
and dried them with her hair.
  You gave me no kiss;
she, from the time she entered,
has not stopped kissing my feet.
  You did not anoint my head with oil; she has poured perfume on my feet.   That is why I tell you: her sins, her many sins, are forgiven, for she has shown great love. But the one who is forgiven little shows little love.”
  He then said to the woman:
“Your sins are forgiven.”
  The others at table began to say to themselves:
“Who is this man, who even forgives sins?”
  Jesus said to the woman:
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!”

        – Let us acclaim the word of God.