Gospel: Luke 7, 36-50
A Pharisee invited him 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.”
Homily
There is a song which drew great applause in T&T over the past few years. The opening lines “Morning neighbour, morning” took us back, those of us old enough to remember, to a kinder and gentler Trinidad and Tobago when politeness was the order of the day.
Unfortunately those days are long gone and with them the love which they symbolized.
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The gospel today presents us with two [2] persons, One who keeps the conventions sincerely and one who does not.
One, Simon, considered himself a great person, superior to others especially this itinerant preacher, Jesus, and certainly the sinful woman. He did not feel nor have the need for the small conventions of politeness and decency common among the Jews.
The other, the sinful woman fulfilled them from the heart.
Jesus draws Simon’s attention to the difference between his attitude and that of the sinful woman, “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.”
Jesus also shows Simon the result of the sinful woman’s attitude. She attains salvation
“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 lesson for us is that we do not have to do extraordinary things to attain salvation. The ordinary conventions of politeness and decency done with love, making others fell wanted and respected become extraordinarily powerful for attaining salvation.
The “Good Morning or evening”, the “thank you”, “after you Madame”, “Excuse me, please, and thank you” are small words which can be signs of great love. It is easy, I suppose, to keep these conventions when we are around persons we like and respect. They become true acts of love when we fulfill them sincerely with persons we consider less than ourselves and with persons whom we do not like. Simon the Pharisee failed the test. How do we fare in our own lives and attitudes?
Today we thank God for all who have taught us the simple conventions of decency and politeness, and who taught us to keep those conventions with all persons even those we may not have liked. We thank God for saints like St. Theresa of the Child Jesus who teach us how to turn these little conventions into acts of great love. If we turn these simple conventions into acts of love, they become for us means to salvation.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we are losing the virtue of compassion and so our world is losing very quickly its gentle, kind character. Help us to build a world of love and compassion, so that no one will have to hide to avoid shame being heaped upon them. Help us rather to discover the gifts and talents which you have given to all of us so that together we can construct a world of harmony and peace. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother and your son Jesus. Amen
