Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for September 18, 2025
Here is the video of today’s reflection.
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. It’s September 18th and I’m coming to you from a Manhattan rooftop. We’ve got a dramatic scene in today’s gospel. Jesus enters the house of Simon the Pharisee. Normally, when someone entered a house, their feet were washed, they were given kisses on both sides of the cheek, and if there were a real dignitary coming, a little bit of sweet smelling oil would be placed on their head. Simon the Pharisee did nothing of that. But while Jesus was seated at a table, a sinful woman came in. We know what that euphemism is. She was a woman of the streets and she came on in and she sat at Jesus’s feet. She washed his feet with her tears. Just think about that sorrow. She dried them with her hair. To put down your hair was to show you were a loose woman in that culture. And then she anointed Jesus’ feet with oil.
Simon the Pharisee judging the woman, in judging Jesus said, “How could Jesus not know what type of woman this was?” And if he did, “How could he even let her sin touch him?” And so Jesus said an extremely important truth back to Simon. He said, “Simon, if two people owed a creditor different amounts, one 500, one 50 days wages, and both were totally written off, who would forgive more?” And Simon the Pharisee answered appropriately. He said, “Probably the one who owed 500.” Jesus said, “True. You didn’t do any of the things of hospitality you were supposed to do, but since I’ve entered, this woman was washing my feet with her tears. She was anointing my feet, not just my head. And she was kissing my feet, not just my cheeks. The one to whom much has been forgiven,” he said, “loves much.” The one to whom little has been forgiven loves little. What’s this principle? If we’re really going to love Jesus, we have to experience the depth of his mercy. The more we recognize that he has washed us from our sins, the more we’re going to love him and be grateful. Simon the Pharisee didn’t realize that he was a sinner.
The whole word Pharisee means “separated ones”. He wanted to separate himself from sinners so that he wouldn’t touch sin, but he didn’t even realize how judgmental he was. This woman recognized the depth of her need for God’s mercy and was so grateful Jesus had come in the world to give it. Missionaries take this gift of the Lord’s mercy to the ends of the world, call people throughout the world to conversion. Conversion doesn’t mean just excising sin from our life. Conversion means literally turning with Jesus in every way. Means a new life. Means a death and a resurrection.
That’s what missionaries bring to the whole world so that they might learn how much they’re loved and love the Lord back by experiencing the awesome depth of his mercy.
God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based on:
Gospel
A certain 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;
hence, 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.”