Preached at the Thursday morning masses at Christ the King, September 20:

            Luke presents us this morning with a sharp contrast between the Simon the Pharisee and the woman in this morning’s Gospel. 

            On one hand, we have Simon,  a leader in the faith, someone who is, we can be sure, carefully and faithfully following the letter of the law, striving to be a good and faithful Jew, but someone for some unnamed reason has invited this “prophet” Jesus to come and dine with him.  But we see that he keeps his distance from Jesus, he’s sizing him up, perhaps ready to somehow “trap” him, and he disrespects Jesus by knowingly ignoring the established customs of hospitality.

            On the other hand, we have this unnamed woman, undoubtedly a well-known public “sinner” someone who violates all the rules by coming into the home of the Pharisee, not invited we can be sure, and no doubt is considered “unclean.”  She scandalously touches the Lord, and we can imagine the shock on the host’s face as she demonstrates her love for the Lord, washing his feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, anointing them with ointment.

            In the Pharisee’s worldview, he is righteous and this woman is an unclean sinner, and he is shocked that Jesus, a good Jew, would associate with such a woman.  He not only keeps his distance from Jesus rather than warmly welcoming Him, but he judges the Lord and even holds Jesus in contempt – “what kind of prophet is this?”

            And the answer to that is - the kind of a prophet who can see peoples’ hearts.  Who can see right through outward appearances and look right past the way we typically judge each other.   And who loves both but makes a clear call for the kind of response the woman gives.  Which is this – the woman, realizing she is a sinner in need of Christ’s mercy approaches Him in sorrow.  With faith that He, and only He, can give her forgiveness, freedom, and peace.  And her response is love and thankfulness.  She pours out her love and thankfulness in a beautiful and tender act of caring for the Lord.  And, scandalous or not, Jesus lovingly accepts the woman’s love.

            Jesus turns the Pharisee’s worldview upside down.  Because rather than demanding adherence to the law, Jesus invites repentance, faith and love.  He invites a real change of heart.

            If I’m honest with myself, I’ll have to admit that too often I’m like that Pharisee.  I too can think pretty well of myself and too often I place myself in judgment of those around me, of those in society, the “public sinners” of our own times.  At those times my heart is like Simon’s – not very open and not very hospitable to the Lord.   At those times I forget that I am but a sinner in need of Christ’s redemption, as are we all. 

            And that we are all in need of the Lord’s grace to soften our hearts so that we can be more like this woman – truly sorrowful for our sins, and, overwhelmed by the Lord’s love and forgiveness, anxious to tenderly pour out our love for the Lord.