The Holy Gospel according to Luke (7:36-50)
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.”
Reflection: God’s love, kindness and mercy is boundless
In today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke. We hear of God’s great mercy as Jesus forgives the sinful woman who washes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair, and anointed his feet with alabaster oil, to the astonishment of the Pharisees, the learned.
The Pharisees were teachers of the people who were present at that banquet. Learned means “having much knowledge”, the ones privileged with years of learning holy scripture, the Torah. They questioned how He could allow a sinful woman to care for him, and they also questioned how He can forgive sins. They were judging our Lord Jesus using the limits of their minds, and they were also judging the woman. Little did they know that they were in the holy presence of the son of our almighty God, Father and creator.
However, our God’s love and mercy is boundless. God is all knowing. Jesus knows our hearts and minds. He knew what the Pharisees were thinking as He shared that the woman showed love and care for Jesus in full humility and did what Simon the Pharisee failed to do. Do we also judge others and look down on them based upon what they have done, their appearance, what they have learned, what they say, where they live, what they wear, who they associate with, or what they do for a living? Unfortunately, most of us do.
God is reminding us to have hearts of kindness, mercy and humility. How do we gain hearts of kindness, mercy and humility? We can start by acknowledging that our human life and our mere presence in this universe is a gift from God. God has provided for all our needs as well as all our abilities and talents to think, reason and speak. Gifts to share with others. All are blessings from God that he freely grants to all even though we are all sinners. God also encourages us to respect, serve and treat one another fairly and equally regardless of our age or status in life.
We need to pay attention always to Jesus’ daily prompting in our hearts. He moves our hearts daily to see to the needs of everyone, not just to our family and close friends. He encourages us to be willing to also wash the feet of our brothers and sisters through our daily service for others by providing for their needs. To provide care for when they are sick. To provide food and shelter when necessary. To care for everyone, especially the widows, the widowers, the elderly, the immigrants, and the vulnerable.
Our God looks upon us daily with a smile, upon all humanity and all creation, and He is always ready to forgive us of our sins, regardless of what we have said or done. We are not perfect and we will continue to make mistakes in our journey of life, and God is always ready to welcome us back to Him with loving arms and to help us to be a better person, to learn wisdom from our mistakes and to be in peace, just like how Jesus forgave the woman of her sins.
In peace, may we share our faith of God’s message of mercy and love of our faith to all people. Our Lord Jesus is with us and he is journeying with everyone through the Holy Spirit who is present in our hearts. Pray to our Lord Jesus daily to guide us.
Action for the Day:
In humility, ask for God’s forgiveness to be able to share His compassion and goodness. Reconcile with God. Carve out moments in our day for silent prayer. Give thanks for our blessings then share to Jesus what is going on in our lives. Listen in silence. When prompted, heed God’s call and daily promptings to forgive and care for one another. Share the message of God’s boundless kindness, love and mercy to all by the way we live.
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