One day a young man came to his parish priest and asked him, “Father, how can God who is all holy forgive us our sins? We are often so filled with jealousy and hatred.” The priest replied, “Joe, you are the third generation in your family of master carpenters. If your grandfather made a fine table and it was now scratched, would you toss it out?” “Of course not! A scratch wouldn’t change the character of a fine piece of furniture.” “Well then, if you were making a fine oak rocking chair and nicked it, would you toss it?” “No way, Father! Even with a few scratches, a well crafted quality piece of furniture is valuable.” “Joe, if a master carpenter can see good in any piece of well made furniture, imagine the good that God sees in us despite our flaws.”
In today’s readings, we meet three folks who have sinned big time. First, we encounter David, who is convicted by Nathan of committing adultery with the wife of an army officer whom he then arranges to have killed in battle. Then, we meet Paul, who before his conversion on the way to Damascus persecuted Christians. And in the gospel, we meet a “sinful woman.”
In spite of all that God had done for him, David had acted without gratitude and responded sinfully. But God was amazingly merciful and loving in forgiving him. This divine gesture of forgiveness happened in ancient times, long before God sent his son, Jesus, to die for our sins and bring us salvation.
Our gospel passage shows us another sinner, a woman, who like David, acknowledged her sin and repented with great sorrow and love. She publicly washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed them with ointment. Jesus’ host, Simon, wasn’t obliged to wash Jesus’ feet or greet him with a kiss. That was only done for guests he wanted to honor. For Jesus, he did the bare minimum and then judged Jesus for even letting this sinful woman touch him. But Jesus recognized the woman’s great love and sorrow and proceeded to forgive her sins.
These readings have much to say to us today. First of all, they remind us of God’s unconditional love for all of his creatures, for all of us, regardless of our sinfulness. The good news for us to keep in mind is that God will always forgive us no matter what we have done or failed to do as long as we acknowledge our guilt. It is God’s nature to forgive and be open to reconciliation.But it doesn’t stop there. God also has expectations of us as well. Paul speaks of them in our second reading.
He makes the point that just obeying the law and following the rules is not enough. Rules or laws are fine and necessary, but by themselves, they are not enough to save us. Paul writes, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me…I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” The same is true for each of us. Christ lives in us and loves us as much as he loved St. Paul. If Christ lives in us, that means we must be like Christ. We must also love. We must live with love. That means accepting others, being forgiving, being compassionate, and being generous according to our means. No wonder then, that in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus speaks of our obligation to forgive others when we seek God’s forgiveness.
The Pharisee in the gospel didn’t feel any need to be forgiven, so he also didn’t feel any need to love. In fact, we all need to be forgiven and we all need to love. Whatever we do, we need to do with love. Whether you are wealthy and can put a huge check in the collection basket or if you have only a nickel to give, it needs to be given with love. If you are ask to set the table or do the dishes, do so with love. If you are visiting a neighbor, do so with love. When you begin your day, ask God’s help in doing all you do with love, even if you don’t enjoy what you are doing.
Granted, doing everything with love isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it can feel like martyrdom. We wonder why we should forgive someone who has harmed us or why we should give up our anger over a wrong treatment or judgment. Why should we care for someone we don’t respect or think has low character? Because everyone is loved by God and treating others decently is a way of letting Christ who lives in us love through us as well.
As Jesus points out in today’s Gospel, love and forgiveness go hand in hand. We are far more ready to forgive those we love, then those whom we don’t, yet we have much to gain personally when we forgive even those whom we don’t love. Derived from an old English word, to forgive means to give up feelings of resentment against someone on account of a wrong committed. To say, “I forgive you,” is to free yourself from the shackles of holding a grudge that weighs on your mind and burdens the soul. Telling someone you forgive them does not condone the wrong, nor is it a sign of weakness. One must be strong to forgive.
If we are man enough like David or woman enough like the sinner in today’s gospel to admit our guilt and seek forgiveness, then Christ can do great things for us. Jesus can transform our vices into virtues; make guilt give way to gladness and change dead ends into new beginnings. His kingdom consists of people who have sinned and been forgiven; of people, who have failed, yet found grace through reconciliation.
Forgiveness is God’s invention for coming to terms with a world in which people are unfair and hurt one other deeply. God began by forgiving us and he invites us all to do the same. The bottom line is this: God is ready to forgive us the moment we sin. When we come to God with a contrite heart, admitting our wrong doing, we will always be welcomed with open arms.