12th Sunday in Ordinary time
(June 13, 2010)
Fr James McTavish, FMVD
Rebel with a cause
There was a famous film in the 1950's starring James Dean. It was called "Rebel without a cause". In today’s gospel we meet another rebel but this time a rebel with a cause. A woman who enters into the house of a Pharisee and bathes the feet of Jesus with her tears, dries them with her hair, kisses his feet and then pours perfume over them. (See Luke 7, 36-50). She was not allowed to enter that house, it was men only at the table and as a sinner of public renown she was not allowed to touch others. When the owner of the house, the one who had invited Jesus to eat with him sees this he is scandalized. Being a Pharisee he was a real goody-goody in terms of the Law but he was full of judgements. When he saw the woman crying at the feet of Jesus he thought 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.”
But the vision of Jesus on this woman is very different. He notices every single detail of love and tells Simon “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 notices. He is very sensitive to the little acts of love we show him, in our thoughts, in our gaze towards him, in our concrete acts of kindness to others.
Simon needs a change of hard drive or even a new mother board. He needs to start seeing the world and others in the same way Jesus sees things. Simon was faithful to the law but as St Paul reminds us in the second reading “Brothers and sisters: We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal 2,16). It is not enough just to follow the law such as doing the minimum like going to Mass or saying a prayer or too. It depends on the motivation - is it just to fulfil the Law or is it really out of love? How to tell the difference? Well Simon the Pharisee was very righteous and invites our Lord onto his home territory. The ‘sinful woman’ was very different. She was looking for Jesus, she was breaking the ‘rules’. She was moved by love. Perhaps the words of St Peter Chrysologus can be applied to this woman “But the law of love is not concerned with what will be, what ought to be, what can be. Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refuses to be consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises all hindrances to the attainment of its object. Love destroys the lover if he cannot obtain what he loves; love follows its own promptings, and does not think of right and wrong. Love inflames desire which impels it toward things that are forbidden.”
She was a rebel with a cause and that cause was the love of Christ - “The love of Christ urges us onwards” (2 Cor 5,14). When we are too at home with our faith, when we put God in a box perhaps we are becoming like Simon the Pharisee. The woman shows great love but she had experienced God’s love first, she had experienced forgiveness as Jesus explained – “So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” The one who experiences the forgiveness of God will be slow to condemn others because they are aware of their own misery and the great mercy of God towards them. Many times people say I can forgive but I don’t forget. Why don’t we forget? Many times because we don’t want to. When we experience rancour towards others we should always remember what St Paul told us “Love does not keep a record of wrongs” (1 Cor 13,6). What to do if we have difficulty to forgive? Pray for the person, do small sacrifices and offer it for them. Re-establish communication, no matter how little at first, a smile, a text. When the dialogue is more healthy then you can broach the areas that are causing trouble.
Let us be inspired by this woman in the gospel, by the boldness of her love, by her generosity. Simon the Pharisee seems very reserved and stingy compared to the daring and generous attitude shown by her. When she pours out the perfume it is a real symbol of love as perfume in the bible, like today, is often connected to love. In another episode of anointing the woman there actually wipes the perfume from the feet of Jesus with her hair. Some commentators note that the fragrance would arise from both Jesus, from the perfume poured on him, and the woman from her hair. The perfume on both of them would produce one aroma such that the ‘two become one’, a symbol of love. Let us learn from this and place ourselves at the feet of Jesus too in prayer, breaking the jar of our heart and pouring out our concerns, our thanksgiving and all our love at the feet of Jesus knowing that he is a God who is not indifferent to our little acts of love.
May our faith and love for Christ not make us too conformist! May we not get too relaxed in a faith that remains in its comfort zone. Like those people who make a little financial donation to the Church to tranquilize their conscience. Let us take care and not to become too righteous thinking we are saved just because we follow the Law or are just doing the minimum. As the Church document Lumen gentium reminds us “He is not saved, however, who, though part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but, as it were, only in a "bodily" manner and not "in his heart." All the Church's children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail moreover to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged.” Let us not merely conform to the standards of the world or society just going with the flow. That is so easy, even a dead body floats downstream. Go against the current for Christ even if for the world you are rebellious. But how great to be a rebel with a cause and that cause is Christ and his Kingdom.
Fr James McTavish, FMVD
Rebel with a cause
There was a famous film in the 1950's starring James Dean. It was called "Rebel without a cause". In today’s gospel we meet another rebel but this time a rebel with a cause. A woman who enters into the house of a Pharisee and bathes the feet of Jesus with her tears, dries them with her hair, kisses his feet and then pours perfume over them. (See Luke 7, 36-50). She was not allowed to enter that house, it was men only at the table and as a sinner of public renown she was not allowed to touch others. When the owner of the house, the one who had invited Jesus to eat with him sees this he is scandalized. Being a Pharisee he was a real goody-goody in terms of the Law but he was full of judgements. When he saw the woman crying at the feet of Jesus he thought 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.”
But the vision of Jesus on this woman is very different. He notices every single detail of love and tells Simon “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 notices. He is very sensitive to the little acts of love we show him, in our thoughts, in our gaze towards him, in our concrete acts of kindness to others.
Simon needs a change of hard drive or even a new mother board. He needs to start seeing the world and others in the same way Jesus sees things. Simon was faithful to the law but as St Paul reminds us in the second reading “Brothers and sisters: We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal 2,16). It is not enough just to follow the law such as doing the minimum like going to Mass or saying a prayer or too. It depends on the motivation - is it just to fulfil the Law or is it really out of love? How to tell the difference? Well Simon the Pharisee was very righteous and invites our Lord onto his home territory. The ‘sinful woman’ was very different. She was looking for Jesus, she was breaking the ‘rules’. She was moved by love. Perhaps the words of St Peter Chrysologus can be applied to this woman “But the law of love is not concerned with what will be, what ought to be, what can be. Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refuses to be consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises all hindrances to the attainment of its object. Love destroys the lover if he cannot obtain what he loves; love follows its own promptings, and does not think of right and wrong. Love inflames desire which impels it toward things that are forbidden.”
She was a rebel with a cause and that cause was the love of Christ - “The love of Christ urges us onwards” (2 Cor 5,14). When we are too at home with our faith, when we put God in a box perhaps we are becoming like Simon the Pharisee. The woman shows great love but she had experienced God’s love first, she had experienced forgiveness as Jesus explained – “So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” The one who experiences the forgiveness of God will be slow to condemn others because they are aware of their own misery and the great mercy of God towards them. Many times people say I can forgive but I don’t forget. Why don’t we forget? Many times because we don’t want to. When we experience rancour towards others we should always remember what St Paul told us “Love does not keep a record of wrongs” (1 Cor 13,6). What to do if we have difficulty to forgive? Pray for the person, do small sacrifices and offer it for them. Re-establish communication, no matter how little at first, a smile, a text. When the dialogue is more healthy then you can broach the areas that are causing trouble.
Let us be inspired by this woman in the gospel, by the boldness of her love, by her generosity. Simon the Pharisee seems very reserved and stingy compared to the daring and generous attitude shown by her. When she pours out the perfume it is a real symbol of love as perfume in the bible, like today, is often connected to love. In another episode of anointing the woman there actually wipes the perfume from the feet of Jesus with her hair. Some commentators note that the fragrance would arise from both Jesus, from the perfume poured on him, and the woman from her hair. The perfume on both of them would produce one aroma such that the ‘two become one’, a symbol of love. Let us learn from this and place ourselves at the feet of Jesus too in prayer, breaking the jar of our heart and pouring out our concerns, our thanksgiving and all our love at the feet of Jesus knowing that he is a God who is not indifferent to our little acts of love.
May our faith and love for Christ not make us too conformist! May we not get too relaxed in a faith that remains in its comfort zone. Like those people who make a little financial donation to the Church to tranquilize their conscience. Let us take care and not to become too righteous thinking we are saved just because we follow the Law or are just doing the minimum. As the Church document Lumen gentium reminds us “He is not saved, however, who, though part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but, as it were, only in a "bodily" manner and not "in his heart." All the Church's children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail moreover to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged.” Let us not merely conform to the standards of the world or society just going with the flow. That is so easy, even a dead body floats downstream. Go against the current for Christ even if for the world you are rebellious. But how great to be a rebel with a cause and that cause is Christ and his Kingdom.
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