“There will be no defense left to you on the day of judgment when you will be judged according to the sentence you passed on others and you will be dealt with as you have dealt with others.”  – St. Cyprian

Luke 7:36-50: One of the Pharisees invited him to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that is touching him and what a bad name she has.’ Then Jesus took him up and said, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Speak, Master’ was the reply. ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he pardoned them both. Which of them will love him more?’ ‘The one who was pardoned more, I suppose,’ answered Simon. Jesus said, ‘You are right’. Then he turned to the woman. ‘Simon,’ he said ‘you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason, I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the man who is forgiven little who shows little love.’ Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven’. Those who were with him at table began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man, that he even forgives sins?’ But he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

Christ the Lord  How did this woman enter the dining room? Sheepishly? If she were self-conscious, she wouldn’t have come at all. She must have swept into the room, searching the faces with an alarming intensity, until she saw Jesus. Then her eyes lit up, her frown relaxed into a smile, and she rushed to his feet. He had given her something she had long been searching for. We don’t know how she had met him. Maybe she had only seen him from a distance and listened to his teaching. However it happened, the power of his grace had reached through the layers of self-protection that she had erected around her heart and touched her soul. She had finally found someone who truly knew her, who truly valued her the way she had yearned to be valued, and who wanted nothing from her except trust and friendship. She had been searching for her self – her true self, her true worth – all these years, in all the wrong places. Now Jesus had shown her the way.

Jesus also reveals himself in this encounter. He shows his full identity in response to this woman’s humble love and faith. No longer could people simply call him a great teacher, or a mighty prophet, or a wonderworker. No, he had publicly forgiven this woman’s sins, something that God alone can do. Now the die was definitively tossed: either Jesus was the divine Messiah, or he was a lunatic pretending to be God. There is no evidence at all for lunacy, so we must conclude that he is, indeed, the Lord.

How much confidence and peace this conviction would give to our souls if we would simply let it sink in! Jesus is the Lord. He is Lord of history, of life, of good, of circumstances, hopes, and obstacles. And he is my Lord. His Lordship is exercised on my behalf, for the sake of my salvation, to free me from my sins and set me on the path of true love and joy – a path so fulfilling that this fashionable and pleasure-loving woman wept for happiness when she found herself upon it.

Christ the Teacher  Jesus teaches us how he wants to forgive our sins: through real words spoken with a real, audible voice: “Your sins are forgiven.” Just as this incomprehensibly mundane and human way of administering divine forgiveness shocked and scandalized Simon and his fellow Pharisees, so it continues to shock people today. If God has chosen to send his forgiveness through the tangible ministry of the sacrament of confession, he must have his reasons (and you can probably think of plenty). Of course, that doesn’t make it any easier to go to confession. The sinful woman was doubly shamed, having to lay bare her guilt and repentance not only to her Lord (whom she trusted), but to everyone there at the table with him. We can feel the same shame and humiliation when we have to honestly tell our sins to the priest in the confessional. But Jesus wants to give us that chance. He wants to make it possible for us to confess our sins and our repentance in a physical, tangible way – that’s why he became man in the first place. And he also wants us to be able to receive his forgiveness in a physical, tangible way. Christ’s final words, “Your sins are forgiven… Your faith has saved you, go in peace” are quoted almost verbatim in the sacrament of confession. And just as we can imagine how deeply pleased he was at this encounter, so is his heart filled with joy whenever we give him a chance to shower us with his love in the confessional.

One thing that often keeps us away from this precious sacrament is the same thing that kept Simon from understanding why Jesus let this woman bathe his feet: we think we don’t need God’s forgiveness. We belittle our sin and selfish tendencies; we trust in our own strength to keep us on track; we readily admit others’ weaknesses, but purposely ignore our own. Regular and frequent confession is one the surest signs of spiritual growth – skipping it is usually an equally trustworthy sign of spiritual stagnation.

Christ the Friend How gently Jesus rebukes and teaches Simon the Pharisee! He doesn’t yell or humiliate him; instead, he simply asks a couple of questions that quietly light up his conscience. And it had its effect. Many spiritual writers identify this Simon with the Simon who later threw a banquet for Jesus in Bethany just before his passion (it was common for the wealthy to have more than one house in Palestine). We know that by the time of the second banquet this Simon believed in Jesus and honored him. But even if the two Simons are different, the example of Christ’s eagerness to win souls over to his Kingdom and the sweet meekness of his manner remains. St Frances de Sales used to say that one drop of honey will attract more flies than a whole barrel of vinegar. Jesus is dripping honey all over the place in the Gospels – which shows that he is more concerned about our good than his own vanity (patience, gentleness, and mercy aren’t typical ways to assert one’s self-esteem).

This is how Jesus dealt with Simon, and this is how he deals with us. Just recall how he has acted in your life up to now – steadily, surely, but very gently and respectfully. And if he does so with us, showing himself to be a true friend, shouldn’t we do the same with the Simons we run across?

Christ in My Life You know I believe in you, but you also know how shaky my faith can be. Jesus, convince me of your wisdom, you nearness, your greatness. Help me to see your hand at work in all things. Pour your Holy Spirit upon me again, with his gifts of understanding and knowledge. My mind is so caked with the mud of this fallen world! Lord Jesus, be my light…

I don’t know why it’s still hard for me to go to confession. Shouldn’t I be used to it by now? I’m glad I’m not. I’m glad I feel humiliated at confessing my petty selfishness and tantrums of self-indulgence – I should feel humiliated by such things. And what better way to become humble than to exercise humility? Thank you, Lord for your wise and mysterious mercy…

Jesus, you told me to learn from you because you are meek and humble of heart. I want to be a faithful ambassador of your Kingdom. And that means reaching out to those around me with the same gentleness and humility that you always showed. But I need your grace to control my temper, my tendency to arrogance, and my impatience. Lord Jesus, help me…

PS: This is just one of 303 units of Fr. John’s fantastic book The Better Part. To learn more about The Better Part or to purchase in print, Kindle or iPhone editions, click here. Also, please help us get these resources to people who do not have the funds or ability to acquire them by clicking here.

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Art: Cover of The Better Part used with permission. Feast of Simon the Pharisee, Peter Paul Rubens, between 1618 and 1620, PD-US author’s life plus 100 years or less, Wikimedia Commons.