11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C - 12/6/2016 - Gospel: Lk 7:36-50
Tears
Different people have different behaviour to react against sins they have committed. It is all to do with fear or arrogant. It is the fear to face the inner voice of their own conscience or the fear of being punished by justice of a society where they belong to. Fear comes and goes but when arrogant is anchored in a person, it becomes a personality of that person who would listen to no one. It is the worse kind of behaviour because arrogance is itself a sin and sins give birth to another sin and sin conceals sin.
With the help of humility some would acknowledge the state of their sins but have no courage to change. They live in a state of sorrow. Others would deny and hide of their own sins and live with internal struggles. Others again would prefer to conceal it for sometime before accepting their state of sin. The woman who bitterly wept on the feet of Jesus represented this kind of personality. She is a woman of faith who has placed her faith and trust in Jesus with the firm hope that Jesus would listen to her plea. She is a courageous woman who publicly found a special way to confide her sins to Jesus without worrying about the shames others would place on her. Knowing that Jesus was having a dinner at the house of a Pharisee, the woman wanted to come near to Jesus. She would envisage in her mind all the pros and cons that could possibly happen. Finally her love for Jesus won. It was stronger than the fear of being judged and being rejected. She came to Jesus with the hope that Jesus would make her right again with God and at peace with herself and she was right. She said not a single word but her sorrowful manifested in actions. She quietly shed the warm tears on the feet of Jesus and wiped it with her hair and then poured the costly oil on them and sealed His feet with kisses.
In order to kiss the feet of Jesus she had to bend her back or bow down low in a prostrate position. It is an act of the most humble and respect that she has shown to Jesus. She was able to overcome her pride to voluntarily show her great love for Jesus. People may have different interpretation of her actions but for me she has shown the utmost reverent and the greatest honour to Jesus. It is the act of privilege because her faith in Jesus made her give to Jesus the best she could offer. The woman has no better way to give praise and honour to Jesus than to do what she did. By doing that she publicly told to others that Jesus alone is her Master Who alone has the power to erase her pass and restores her to the wholeness.
The woman said nothing but others criticised Jesus and reminded Jesus of her bad reputation. Jesus himself came to her defence by saying that her actions were the evident of her great love for Him. She was received more from Jesus since her love for Jesus was great and genuine. Her actions were the most sincere form of worship and adoration deep within her heart that she could show for Jesus.
With the help of humility some would acknowledge the state of their sins but have no courage to change. They live in a state of sorrow. Others would deny and hide of their own sins and live with internal struggles. Others again would prefer to conceal it for sometime before accepting their state of sin. The woman who bitterly wept on the feet of Jesus represented this kind of personality. She is a woman of faith who has placed her faith and trust in Jesus with the firm hope that Jesus would listen to her plea. She is a courageous woman who publicly found a special way to confide her sins to Jesus without worrying about the shames others would place on her. Knowing that Jesus was having a dinner at the house of a Pharisee, the woman wanted to come near to Jesus. She would envisage in her mind all the pros and cons that could possibly happen. Finally her love for Jesus won. It was stronger than the fear of being judged and being rejected. She came to Jesus with the hope that Jesus would make her right again with God and at peace with herself and she was right. She said not a single word but her sorrowful manifested in actions. She quietly shed the warm tears on the feet of Jesus and wiped it with her hair and then poured the costly oil on them and sealed His feet with kisses.
In order to kiss the feet of Jesus she had to bend her back or bow down low in a prostrate position. It is an act of the most humble and respect that she has shown to Jesus. She was able to overcome her pride to voluntarily show her great love for Jesus. People may have different interpretation of her actions but for me she has shown the utmost reverent and the greatest honour to Jesus. It is the act of privilege because her faith in Jesus made her give to Jesus the best she could offer. The woman has no better way to give praise and honour to Jesus than to do what she did. By doing that she publicly told to others that Jesus alone is her Master Who alone has the power to erase her pass and restores her to the wholeness.
The woman said nothing but others criticised Jesus and reminded Jesus of her bad reputation. Jesus himself came to her defence by saying that her actions were the evident of her great love for Him. She was received more from Jesus since her love for Jesus was great and genuine. Her actions were the most sincere form of worship and adoration deep within her heart that she could show for Jesus.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia