WHERE DID I GO WRONG?

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Philippine Independence Day

2 Sm 12: 7 – 10.13 / Ps 32 / Gal 2: 16. 19 – 21 / Lk 7: 36 – 8:3 or 36 – 50

After giving their all, why do some people continue to fall out of love? Why do some people continue to become less generous and nonresponsive to the good done to them? Some parents, despite the sacrifices they make for their families, continue to have children who want to move around their own way. Husbands and wives today face the challenge of extramarital affairs despite having been living together for some time now. Nagpaka-martir na gani ka, pero nganong lain man ang iyang gipili? With these experiences they probably would ask, “Tell me, where did I go wrong? What did I do to make you change your mind completely?”

That is probably the feeling, or the question, of God in our first reading today. We read that after having anointed David as king of Israel, after defending him from his enemies, and after giving him every blessing, David committed a serious crime. He murdered Uriah in order to make his wife his own. Probably, God must have asked David the same question: “Tell me, where did I go wrong? What did I do to make you change your mind completely?”

The experience of David is also our experience. If you come to think of it, God has given us so much. From morning, noon, to night time, God has poured out into our lives blessings which make us live. The mere fact that you are here today in this Mass is already a blessing from God. Kay pwede baya atakihon ka or madisgrasya ka before ka niabot dinhi. But despite the generosity of God, we continue to become less loving, less responsive to him. No wonder, God may also ask us today: “Tell me, where did I go wrong? What did I do to make you change your mind completely?”

As children of God our consistent challenge is to return back to Him what we have received from Him. How? Let us consider the example of David in our first reading, the example of Paul in our second reading, and the example of the woman in our Gospel today.

In our first reading, David humbly acknowledged before Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

In our second reading, Paul acclaimed before the Galatians that he has been justified by the Lord: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.”

In our Gospel today, the woman found favor with Jesus because her great love for Him led her to humbly acknowledge her sinfulness.

My dear friends, the first way for us to be able to become more generous, more loving, and more responsive not only to God but also to others is to humbly acknowledge who we are before God and others. Before God, let us humbly acknowledge that we are sinners who are in need of his mercy. Such act will make us less proud and it leads us away from desperation.

Before others, let us also acknowledge that we are brothers and sisters who are in need of one another. By doing so, we avoid becoming like the Pharisee in our Gospel today nga walay lain gibuhat kung dili ang pagpamantay ra gyud! Unless we acknowledge our status before God and others, then, we continue to live in lies and cheat on others. To claim that we are sinners before God and that we are brothers and sisters make us truly re-echo the words in our responsorial psalm today, “Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.”

If God will ask you later today, “Tell me, where did I go wrong? What did I do to make you change your mind completely?” what will be your answer? Can you re-echo the words of David, “I have sinned against God!” Can you re-play the gesture of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet?

“Tell me, where did I go wrong? What did I do to make you change your mind completely?”