COMPARING STORIES
When
studying the parallel of this story in John’s Gospel a couple of years
ago, we had to compare it with this Lucan version as well as the
versions in Matthew and Mark. It quickly becomes obvious that there is a
basic story as told by Mark and Matthew, and to which both John and
Luke have added other elements in order to teach a particular lesson.
And in Luke’s case, it is about the nature and experience of
forgiveness.
Luke
adds the material of the parable of the creditor who forgives a small
and a large debt, and asks which debtor will be more grateful. Towards
the end, this story is somehow combined with an act of anointing. We
have the anointing or worship of Jesus as a response to the forgiveness
of the sins of the woman in question. Jesus is right — anyone who
understands that all their sins have been forgiven will be eternally
grateful for the fact. The act of anointing is merely an expression that
signifies the depth of feeling in the experience of the woman.
How
do we feel about having our sins forgiven? What is our response to this
incredible gift that God has given us, and given us freely? I doubt if
we even think about this reality much at all. How ungrateful can we be?
There should be little more important to us than thanking God for the
gift of His forgiveness. This ought to inspire within us a great desire
to give back to God in return, not in the sense of paying off our debt
to Him but showing Him what a difference His forgiveness has made in our
lives. Let us never forget the generosity of love that God demonstrates
to us through the forgiveness of our sins.
The
anointing of oil in the Old Testament is associated with kingship and
ministry. In our passage today, we see what it means to be a minister
and a king — always willing to forgive the faults of others and to be of
service to them as generously as we can. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTION: When was the last time you thanked God for the gift of His forgiveness?
How can I thank God for the gift of His forgiveness today?
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