17 September 2026 Thursday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial) Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial) Gospel: Luke 7:31-35
Today is Thursday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the Optional Memorials of Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church.
Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) was born in Montepulciano, Italy, and joined the Society of Jesus. He was later created a Cardinal and served briefly as Archbishop of Capua. His greatest legacy, however, lies in his work as a theologian and controversialist, particularly in defending the Church against Protestant critics. He was canonized in 1930 and declared a Doctor of the Church the following year.
Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) entered the Benedictine Abbey of Disibodenberg in Germany at a young age. She later became an abbess and founded several monasteries. Known as the “Sibyl of the Rhine,” she was a polymath whose extensive writings covered mystical theology, poetry, linguistics, natural science, and medicine. She also composed plays and musical works, many of which survive. Unusual for a woman of her time, she travelled widely, corresponded with popes, and even preached in cathedrals and market squares. Saint Hildegard died on 17 September 1179 at the monastery of Rupersburg in Bingen. Pope Benedict XVI declared her a Doctor of the Church in 2012.
Today’s Gospel passage from Saint Luke presents Jesus’ teaching during a meal at the house of a Pharisee, where He grants forgiveness to a woman who anointed His feet. I would like to offer some reflections on this passage.
We know that the scribes and Pharisees were among the Jews most learned in Sacred Scripture. The Pharisees were experts in the Law of God and its interpretation. They taught the people through parables and, in expounding the Law, incorporated the precepts of the elders, customs, and what they termed the “tradition of the ancestors.” Yet, on this occasion, the Pharisee who invited Jesus to his home failed to observe a customary tradition: he did not offer water to wash Jesus’ feet, a ritual of purification. In contrast, the woman, moved by deep love for Jesus, transcended the traditions upheld by the Pharisees. With her tears, she bathed His feet, dried them with her hair, and anointed them with ointment (cf. Luke 7:44-47). By her faith and love for Jesus, her sins were forgiven. Through the actions of this woman, Luke exhorts the Christian community of his time—and invites us today—to demonstrate our love for God through concrete deeds. He further calls us to remember that faith in God is not a mere slogan. Like the woman in the Gospel, we are invited to trust firmly in God at every stage of life and in every circumstance, we encounter, especially in moments of deepest darkness. Our God, rich in mercy, is ever ready to extend His hand to help, forgive, and set us free when we are most in need.
Look upon us, O God, Creator and ruler of all things, and, that we may feel the working of your mercy, grant that we may serve you with all our heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
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