Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 446


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.”

If the friars were to allow an inscription on my headstone (they won’t) I would write, “If you get to be forty years old and haven’t screwed up big time yet, you ain’t even trying.”

I suppose we’d all like to live a perfect life. Or, if not perfect, we’d like to avoid having to apologize, ask for, and accept forgiveness so darned often. We’d like to say to the Lord, “You gave me five talents. Here are ten more!”

At this late date I’d like to say, “The world is no worse for my having been there.” But that might be pressing my luck.

The story of the woman in the Pharisee’s house, abjectly weeping, anointing Jesus’ feet, kissing them and wiping them with her hair is strong medicine. While any one of us might be willing to admit we have sinned, few of us would readily imitate her example. Clearly she is under the influence of strong emotion. Given the ubiquity of strong liquor, illegal drugs and prescription medicines today, we might suppose she is under the influence of some other spirits. That would be excuse enough not to emulate her.

But we cannot make that assumption about this “sinful woman.” Jesus seems to know her. There must have been some prior conversation between them.  

Despite the polite atmosphere of the Pharisee’s house and the dinner, Jesus takes his stand with the woman. When “social pressure” might tell him to make nice to Simon and dismiss the woman, he gently rebukes his host for neglecting the common courtesies – he failed to bathe Jesus’ feet and anoint his head. 

More importantly, he rebukes Simon for his lack of insight. He has not recognized the hour of his visitation.

For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

We might also recall Jesus' rebuke of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum:

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’”

In fact Simon has silently concluded Jesus is not the prophet! He mutters, “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.”

This sin against the spirit of prophecy is extremely serious.

“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

The Gospel of Saint Luke goes to great lengths to show Jesus as the Prophet who was sent to fill the long empty chair of Moses. Taking his seat at the Right Hand of God, this Prophet sends his disciples to all nations.