Scripture Readings: Second Book of Samuel 12:7-10, 13; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians 2:16, 19-21; Gospel According to Saint Luke 7:36-8:3
Every person has his or her weaknesses and failures, but God’s mercy towards those who stray and sin is boundless. This is the message of the first Mass reading this Sunday, the story of David, God’s chosen leader who became an adulterer and murderer. David’s humble confession of guilt, “I have sinned against the Lord,” receives God’s mercy. A humble attitude immediately moves God to show mercy. King David being forgiven his sins stresses God’s mercy always extended to repentant sinners and shown in the Gospel reading from Saint Luke this Sunday as well.
Throughout his Gospel narrative, Saint Luke the Evangelist recounts the attitude of Jesus toward those who sin, stressing God’s mercy extended by Jesus to those who stray or “miss the mark,” the literal meaning of committing sin.
As a result, during his earthly ministry Jesus was accused of being “a friend of sinners.” Today’s Gospel text is an example of Jesus receiving a sinner into his midst and how he responds to the situation.
We are told that a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to dinner. The other person in the story is completely anonymous. “A woman known in the town to be a sinner,” is all we are told about her. She seems to have been a “gate crasher” also, entering Simon’s house uninvited and unannounced, but was not dismissed by Simon. How she was able to enter the house of Simon the Pharisee we do not know.
Scripture scholars tell us that at that time doors to homes were routinely kept open for the sake of curious spectators, odd as that may sound to us today. Still a person like the sinner would not easily have been allowed to enter a house without causing a stir and a strong reaction.
It seems that Simon knew her, though, as we are told of his thoughts about her in the Gospel text. Perhaps the way she looked or was dressed identified her in some way or maybe she was related to the Pharisee, but in fact it is not of much importance to the Gospel message.
We presume the woman had heard about Jesus and how he was compassionate to sinners. Perhaps she had seen and heard Jesus at some time and place in the past, but we do not know. In any case, a ray of light must have dawned in her heart, with faith in God’s mercy and a hope of obtaining pardon from God through Jesus.
Jesus shows no sign of being offended or put off by the presence of the woman near him. He even allowed her wash his feet with her tears, dry them with her hair as well as kiss his feet and anoint them with perfumed oil. These were fairly bold gestures, to say the least, and probably even for those times as well.
Such allowance on Jesus’ part, incurring ritual impurity by contact with a sinner, would cause the Pharisee Simeon to question the genuine prophetic character of his guest, Jesus. How could this man, if he were a prophet, not know who it was that was touching him and making him unclean?
The action of the woman, sort of one misadventure after another, since the vase of perfumed oil was more likely intended for the anointing of the head rather than the feet of the guest, nonetheless was not rejected by Jesus, but understood by him as a sign of the woman’s repentance and love for the Lord. Intense love and gratitude, as well as sorrow and silent confession and profession of faith, were welcomed by Jesus and became a source of asking all his followers and us as well: are you willing to do likewise?
The behavior of the woman at the Pharisee’s house was an opportunity for Jesus to present his parable of the two debtors, regarding debts which are canceled. Who will be more grateful for this action? Obviously the one who is forgiven a greater debt or offenses.
“Your faith has been your salvation. Go now in peace,” Jesus tells the woman. He said this because by her actions (remember, “actions speak louder than words”), she demonstrated a firm belief in God’s mercy which she had come to learn about through Jesus, now first hand. Her faith anticipated that God would forgive or had forgiven her many sins, and prompted her to express her love for God by a somewhat outlandish but sincere gesture.
Simon the Pharisee, host of the Lord, had received Jesus with polite formality, but nothing more. Jesus now draws the conclusion that that since the apparent sinner has shown such great love in her actions, much has been forgiven her. “I tell you, that is why her sins are forgiven—because of her great love,” Jesus tells the Pharisee.
Though Simon the Pharisee’s attitude was harsh and judgmental, Jesus makes no application of the parable to Simon’s particular mentality. But the point is obvious: how can you be such a hypocrite, Simon, when even God doesn’t treat the wayward like you do?
This Sunday’s story of the attitude and treatment of Jesus towards the sinner had real message for the early Church and right to the present, remaining valid for our times as well.
The Christian’s attitude toward sinners both inside and outside the Christina community must be modeled on the standards and actions of Jesus. “Worldly ways” of shunning and condemning, excluding and pigeonholing, have no place in the life of the followers of Jesus. “Easier said than done,” we might chime in, but it is always the ideal nonetheless.
Prior Christian Leisy, OSB
Monastery of Christ in the Desert
Abiquiu, New Mexico
