Everywhere

Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time C-2

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Sir 36:18 Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for you, that your prophets be found true. Hear the prayers of your servant, and of your people Israel.

Collect Look upon us, O God, Creator and ruler of all things, and, that we may feel the working of your mercy, grant that we may serve you with all our heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Scripture today: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Psalm 117; Luke 7:36-50

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. When 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, and 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. When 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. Jesus answered him, Simon, I have something to tell you. Tell me, teacher, he said. Two men owed money to a certain money-lender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more? Simon replied, I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled. You have judged correctly, Jesus said. Then he turned towards 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. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven— for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, Your sins are forgiven. The other guests began to say among themselves, Who is this who even forgives sins? Jesus said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace. (Luke 7:36-50)

Everywhere There is a detail in our Gospel passage today (Luke 7:36-50) which is quite central to the event being narrated, but which is probably seldom considered. It is the event described in the very first sentence. “Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.” Our Lord was invited by one of the class from which his most hostile critics were drawn, to come and dine with him. It shows, incidentally, that there were varying degrees of criticism of our Lord among the Pharisees. Not all were implacably hostile. Nicodemus, one of them, was actually a disciple. It also shows that despite their hostility towards him, our Lord’s manner towards the Pharisees was such as in no way to deter them from inviting him to partake of their hospitality. He was forbearing, forgiving and welcoming towards them, despite their attitudes and actions. For instance, in the case before us, our Lord entered the house for the meal, and — as we learn from his ensuing discourse — he was not accorded the courtesies usual for an esteemed guest. But he said nothing of that until the moment when mention of it served to illustrate his teaching honouring the woman who had sought forgiveness. But the principal point here is that our Lord was there in that fairly lavish and socially important setting. He did not shun what were, in the sight of God, somewhat dubious religious settings. We see elsewhere that our Lord condemned, in language of the most forthright prophets right up to John the Baptist, the spiritual state and the practices of the Pharisees. But he did not hesitate to associate with them, if good could be done. Similarly, he did not hesitate to associate with sinners and publicans, if good could be done. His entire manner showed a welcome to all — and the fact that a woman who was a notorious sinner felt free to come to him boldly before the very Pharisees, and display open repentance before him, illustrates this. Our Lord went anywhere, met anyone, and showed himself a friend to all, if he could gain all. He spoke with dignity and yet respect to Pilate, a pagan, as he did with the good thief, a repentant believer, as he hung dying on the Cross. Christ is God-with-us, wherever we might be. God became thoroughly incarnate.

This feature of Christ’s presence among men is highlighted when we think of his great Precursor whose mission was to point to him, and to be far surpassed by him. John the Baptist was great before God. Our Lord indicated that he was peerless. Now, can we imagine John the Baptist reclining at table with the Pharisees, in something of a feast? Can we imagine, for that matter, his being invited by them to do so? Can we imagine him eating and drinking with publicans and sinners? It is difficult even to imagine him participating in an event such as the wedding feast of Cana. He was a renowned ascetic, and lived in the wilderness even, it seems, from his early adulthood, perhaps even from his youth. He did not associate with the ordinary life of various classes of persons. His holiness and prophetic charism drew them from their towns to where he was in the wilderness. But our Lord, far holier than John (as John himself explicitly acknowledged), went out to where the people were. During his years at Nazareth he mixed and lived as an ordinary townsman would do. During his public ministry he had no-where, he said to one, to lay his head — but he readily associated with all, in order to win all. His mission was to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, be they the publicans and sinners, or be they the scribes and the Pharisees. Now, does this not say something to the follower of Jesus Christ? Just before he ascended into heaven, Christ charged his disciples to go to the whole world and make disciples of all the nations. Whatever be their customs and culture, whatever be their strengths and weaknesses, whatever be their illusions, delusions, or points of clarity, his disciples were to go to them, talk with them, engage them, befriend them, and in doing so bring Christ to them. Our Lord promised that he would be with them to the end of the age. So where they went, he would be there. That is the mission of the Christian, to bring Jesus Christ to the whole world. It is especially the lay Christian who does this, because the lay Christian’s home is the world.

Let the follower of Jesus Christ grow every day in the knowledge and love of his Lord. This is his foremost calling. He must strive to be a great friend of Jesus Christ. But precisely as a friend of Jesus Christ, he has the mission in life of bringing Jesus Christ to every nook and cranny of the human scene. In Christ man has every heavenly blessing, so Jesus Christ must be brought to every man and woman. Our Lord set the example by dining in the house of the Pharisee, and doing much else like this besides. Let us go to man wherever he is, whenever it is possible, and by this means bring him into contact with his God and Redeemer, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(E.J.Tyler)

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A Second Reflection: (Luke 7:36-50)

The Sense of Sin Consider the immense sensitivity of our Lord, accepting serenely the manifestation of sorrow for sin of the woman with a bad reputation (Luke 7:36-50). He showed great love for any repentant sinner, and held her up as an example to those who prided themselves on being virtuous. It has been pointed out by various popes that a distinguishing feature of the modern age — indeed, according to Pope Pius XII, the very sin of the modern age — is the lack of a sense of sin. This lack is not pleasing to our Lord, as we see from his rebuke of the Pharisee. God would want us to take special note of each example in Scripture of the repentant sinner, as having a special relevance to us.

So what must we do? We should ask God for a sense of our sinfulness, a knowledge of our sins, and a deep faith in his love for the repentant sinner. This is the grace we ought pray for, and then bring to others. Then we must try to grow in this virtue by the repeated practice of it: by the daily examination of conscience and acts of contrition for sin, and frequent Confession, approached with a lively faith.

(E.J.Tyler)

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