“If this man were a prophet,
Luke 7:39
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Reflection
A Pharisee invites Jesus to dine with him, and while there, a sinful woman comes to the house and anoints Jesus’ feet with ointment and her tears. The Pharisee can’t believe Jesus would let her do this because of her sin, but Jesus tells him that she has kissed, bathed, and anointed him while his host has not. Her sins are forgiven, and everyone questions how this can be.
The Pharisee specifically calls out the woman as a sinner. What he fails to realize, though, is that he also is a sinner. Perhaps she sinned in a different way than himself, but all the same, neither person is perfect. We can be like the Pharisee at times, calling out others for their sins, but not realizing our own.
Jesus wants to forgive all of us, and wants us to examine our interior, spiritual lives. In doing so, we come back to Christ, just as the woman does, kissing and bathing his feet in our tears of repentance. When we turn our lives back to God, he shows us his great love and mercy in beautiful ways. Let us not judge others before we judge ourselves and repent of our sinful ways, turning to Christ always.
Saint of the Day
St. Hildegard of Bingen: 1098 – 1179
| “Therefore, the faithful person lifts himself up towards God by casting aside his sins and abandoning all evils, and striving instead in his desire for heaven to seek from God the help of good works.” St. Hildegard of Bingen |
