ALL FOUR OF THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS FOCUS ON THE NATURE OF OUR GOD AND, IN PARTICULAR, THEY FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT GOD LOVES SO MUCH THAT OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN BY GOD AS A MATTER OF GOD’S VERY NATURE. GOD CANNOT WITHHOLD FORGIVENESS FROM US IF WE SEEK IT JUST BECAUSE OF WHO GOD IS. IF GOD DID, GOD WOULDN’T BE GOD. THE RICHNESS OF THIS FORGIVENESS IS UNLIMITED IN BOTH DEPTH AND BREADTH, NO MATTERWHAT WE’VE DONE AND WHO WE ARE.
FIRST OF ALL LET’S LOOK AT WHY ST. LUKE CHOSE THIS PARTICULAR STORY FROM JESUS’ LIFE TO RELATE TO US. JESUS DID A LOT OF THINGS SO WHAT MAKES THIS ONE SO IMPORTANT THAT IT GETS WRITTEN DOWN? THE ANSWER LIES IN THE MAKEUP OF JEWISH SOCIETY THEN. BASICALLY, THERE WERE RIGHTEOUS MEN AND THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE. WOMEN WERE AN AFTER-THOUGHT AT BEST, SINNERS (MALE AND FEMALE) WERE UNCLEAN AND NOT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH, AND GENTILES WERE BENEATH NOTICE. IN SHORT, ONLY THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM (AND NOT ALL OF THOSE) WERE REALLY FAVORED BY GOD.
WELL, ST. LUKE SETS OUT TO CORRECT THAT IDEA AND, IN FACT, DEVOTES ALMOST 3 CHAPTERS OF HIS GOSPEL TO THAT END. OUR GOSPEL TODAY IS ONE PART OF THOSE 3 CHAPTERS AND RELATING A SEGMENT OF JESUS’ LIFE ILLUSTRATING HOW INCLUSIVE IS GOD’S LOVE. WOMEN, GENTILES AND SINNERS ARE AS MUCH A PART OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD AS THAT SELF-RIGHTEOUS PHARISEE, SIMON. IN SHORT, THE UNCLEAN CAN BE AS MUCH A PART OF THE KINGDOM AS ANYONE ELSE.
THE NEXT QUESTION WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IS HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THIS FORGIVENESS? THE ANSWER IS WE DON’T ACHIEVE IT IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER. GOD OFFERS US HIS FORGIVENESS WITHOUT ANY PRECONDITIONS OR THE NEED FOR ANY ACTION ON OUR PART. THIS LEADS US INTO ST. PAUL’S LETTER THAT WE READ TODAY.
A LOT HAS BEEN MADE OF HOW WE ARE FORGIVEN. DOES GOD FORGIVE US BECAUSE OF THE WORKS WE DO? IF I’M A GOOD PERSON AND DO GREAT CHARITABLE WORKS, DOES THAT INDUCE GOD TO FORGIVE ME? IF I BELIEVE IN GOD AND GOD’S SON, IN OTHER WORDS IF I HAVE FAITH, WILL THAT ENTITLE ME TO FORGIVENESS?
THE ANSWERS ARE NO AND NO. WORKS DO NOT INDUCE GOD TO FORGIVE US AND NEITHER DOES FAITH. IN FACT, NOTHING INDUCES GOD TO FORGIVE US OTHER THAN GOD’S VERY NATURE AS A FORGIVING GOD. TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE IS TO SAY THAT WE CAN CONTROL GOD BY OUR ACTIONS. IT WOULD MEAN THAT I COULD FORCE GOD TO FORGIVE ME BY DOING GOOD WORKS OR BY HAVING FAITH. I WOULD B ACTING LIKE GOD IS AT MY BECK AND CALL AND EVEN THINKING THOUGHTS LIKE THAT BORDERS ON BLASPHEMY.
WHAT ROLES DO FAITH AND WORKS ACTUALLY PLAY? FAITH DOESN’T AND CAN’T FORCE GOD TO FORGIVE US BUT WHAT IT DOES IS TO MAKE US OPEN TO GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND ABLE TO SEEK IT AND ACCEPT IT. FAITH IS THE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL STEP WE TAKE TO OPEN THE DOOR OF OUR HEARTS AND WELCOME GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND LOVE. THEN OUR WORKS ARE THE FRUIT OF OUR FAITH THAT HAS SOUGHT AND ACCEPTED GOD’S FORGIVING PRESENCE WITHIN US.
MOVING ON TO THE NEXT POINT, THAT UNNAMED WOMAN IN TODAY’S GOSPEL IS REALLY WORTH THINKING ABOUT. SHE WAS DOING SOMETHING THAT DAY IN SIMON’S HOUSE THAT OTHERS, INCLUDING US, HAVE BEEN DOING UP TO NOW AND WILL CONTINUE DOING UNTIL CHRIST’S SECOND COMING. IF YOU SIT BACK AND LOOK AT IT, THIS UNNAMED WOMANWAS IN FACT GOING TO CONFESSION. SHE WAS ACTUALLY EXPERIENCING THE FORERUNNER TO OUR SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION. HER CONFESSION WAS BEING HEARD BY THE VERY CREATOR OF THE SACRAMENT ITSELF. SO WE CAN LEARN A LESSON BY NOTING JUST HOW SHE BEHAVES AND REACTS. SHE REACTS WITH THE UTMOST GRATITUDE, REJOICING AND HAPPINESS.
THAT SHOULD BE OUR REACTION TOO TO GOD’S FORGIVENESS THAT WE EXPERIENCE IN THE SACRAMENT. UNFORTUNATELY, WE USUALLY REACT WITH FEAR OR EMBARRASSMENT AND NOT WITH THE REJOICING AND GRATITUDE THAT WE SHOULD. AS JESUS POINTS OUT TODAY IN HIS PARABLE OF THE TWO DEBTORS WHOSE DEBTS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS LOVE AND REJOICING. HOWEVER, I IMAGINE FR. VU WOULD PREFER THAT WE SKIP THE PART ABOUT POURING OIL ON HIS SHOES.
THE FINAL POINT TO BE MADE GOES BACK TO WHY ST. LUKE INCLUDED THIS EPISODE FROM JESUS’ LIFE IN HIS GOSPEL. NOTICE IN THE GOSPEL JESUS ASKS SIMON “DO YOU SEE THIS WOMAN”. WHY WOULD HE HAVE TO BEGIN HIS LESSON TO SIMON WITH THAT QUESTION? THE WOMAN WAS RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THEM. WHY DIDN’T HE JUST SAY THIS WOMAN TREATED ME WITH LOVE AND YOU DIDN’T?
THE REASON IS THAT TO A SELF-RIGHTEOUS PHARISEE THE WOMAN WAS ALL BUT INVISIBLE, NOT WORTHY OF ANY NOTICE. SHE WAS PART OF THE NOBODYS OF JEWISH SOCIETY, NOT ONLY JUST AS A WOMAN BUT ALSO ONE WHO IS UNCLEAN BECAUSE OF SIN.
ST. LUKE WAS USING THIS EPISODE TO POINT OUT THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS FOR EVERYONE. THE QUESTION WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES IS HAS THAT LESSON SUNK INTO OUR MINDS. ARE THERE PEOPLE THAT, LIKE THE PHARISEE, WE DON’T SEE BECAUSE OUR CULTURE HAS TAUGHT US THEY ARE NOT REALLY THERE, OR NOT WORTH SEEING, OR NOT A PART OF OUR CLASS OR OUR WORLD?
THE REAL DANGER HERE IS THE SMALLER OUR WORLD VIEW IS, THE SMALLER IS OUR VIEW OF GOD. TO RESTRICT THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR WORLD IS TO RESTRICT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S PRESENCE, POWER AND LOVE IN THE UNIVERSE. THAT WAS EXACTLY SIMON’S MISTAKE. IN SHORT, A SMALL WORLD MEANS A SMALL GOD.
OUR PRAYER MUST BE FOR THE GRACE TO MAKE THE EFFORT TO SEE BEYOND OUR HORIZONS TO THOSE NORMALLY HIDDEN FROM OUR VIEW. THAT IS WHAT OUR LORD WAS TEACHING THE PHARISEE, TO SEE THE PEOPLE WHOM OUR CULTURE AND DAILY LIVES HAVE HIDDEN FORM US. THAT IS WHAT ST. LUKE WAS TRYING TO TEACH THE JEWISH CHRISTIANS OF THE DAY. THAT IS WHAT HIS GOSPEL IS TRYING TO TEACH US.