36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."
40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Jesus spoke in very down to earth parables about life, His values and His vision of what our life could be. He preached a message of hope and freedom and salvation. He gathered thousands of people into a new community, a community in which there would be no vestige of the complex structure of laws and prohibitions and rituals that had so burdened their lives. Setting people free was part of His main goal. Bringing people back to His Father's family was part of His gift to us.
Jesus realized that the life He was sharing was fragile and easily shattered, so He gave His apostles the authority to reconcile those who had drifted or damaged their friendship with God. He also gave His disciples food, which would nourish the divine life within them. He promised His followers that when they accepted His friendship, He and His Father would come and live within them (John 12:44-50).
The gift of God's living within us is the basis for the natural growth of the divine life received in baptism, except in many cases the relationship is not nourished . The intimacy with God was the source of Jesus' own strength in His humanity. It flowed from the rich prayer life that He nourished constantly. This is the secret to intimacy with God. We must maintain constancy in prayer, because it develops within the soul a communion and a sharing of thoughts and feelings between the soul and God.
On earth, Jesus tried to help people understand that God knows our weakness and our efforts. He understands our struggling, our pain, and our determination to do better. As long as we are sensitive to the pain and loneliness of others, and reach out to heal, our own sins, as many as they may be, will be forgiven. This is the Good News!
Prayer
Loving Spirit of Wisdom,
guide our thoughts and our memories.
In the light of your love,
may we see what is important for us to remember,
what is important for us to hold to our hearts,
and what we need simply to let go of in peace.
For we trust you to be our guide
even when the path seems unclear to us.
Through Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Peace and Love,
Sue
"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)
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