“A woman of the street entered
the Pharisee’s house. She was crying and bathing Jesus’ feet with her tears.
Then she wiped his feet with her hair, kissed them, and poured
perfume on them.” (Lk. 7:37-38)
Justice and
Compassion Trumping `Sex’
11th Sunday in Ordinary
Time, June 16, 2013
Alleluia,
alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to
Luke
Glory to you, Lord.
A Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to dine with him, and He
accepted the invitation. As they sat down to eat,
a woman of the street heard He was there, and brought an exquisite flask filled
with expensive perfume. She entered the house and knelt behind him at his feet.
Weeping she began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with
her hair, kissed them, and poured the perfume on them. When the Pharisee saw
this he said to himself, “If this man were really a prophet, he would know what
kind of a woman is touching him.”
Jesus knowing his
thoughts said, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” Simon replied, “What is it, Teacher?” Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned
money to two people -- $5,000 to one and $500 to another. But neither of them
could pay him back, so he kindly cancelled out their debt. Now who of the two
do you suppose loved him more,” Jesus asked Simon. Simon replied, “I suppose
the one who owed him more.” ”Correct,”
Jesus agreed.
Then pointing to the
woman He said to Simon, “See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your
house you did not offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed
them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not offer me the customary
kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again. You neglected the
usual courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with
rare perfume. Therefore, I
tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for
she loved much. But the one who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your
sins are forgiven.” The others sitting at the table said among themselves,”Who
does this man think he is, going around and forgiving sins?” But Jesus
said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
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Introduction
Father’s Day
Today, June 16, is Father’s Day. A laid-back and cavalier attitude
about children without fathers infiltrates our culture. At the end of the day,
however, fathers are not like luxury options on new cars - - nice to have but
you can get along just fine without them. They are not like ice-cube-makers on our
refrigerators - - nice to have but you can get along just fine without them. It’s a no-brainer to say that fathers are much
more important than luxury options or ice-cube-makers. It’s also a no-brainer to say it’s important for a child to have a father, and for a
mother to have a partner to help her bring her new-born infant to full
potential. The Child born to Mary had something in
common with many children today: Jesus also started out without a father. But
even heaven knows how important fathers are; so heaven gave Jesus a father in
Joseph. That was more justice than it was judgment - justice to infant Jesus
and to mother Mary.
Society’s
assumption: ` Sex is the sin of sins.’
The gospels show Jesus as habitually
downplaying society’s assumption that `sex is the sin of sins.’ One day the teachers of the Law and Pharisees caught a woman in
an act of adultery. They dragged her before Jesus in the Temple. These `religious’
men were out to trap Him when they asked, “What do you think should be done to
her?” They knew that Jesus was lenient and understanding when it came to
matters of sex. They felt that his leniency contradicted the Law of Moses which
commanded that adulterers be stoned. (Lv. 20:10)
Prostitutes preceding priests
into the kingdom!
Again Jesus downplays society’s assumption that
`sex is the sin of sins.’ To the chief priests and Jewish elders He says, “I
tell you that tax collectors and prostitutes are preceding you into the kingdom
of God. For John the Baptist came to
show you the right path to take, but you did not believe him, though tax
collectors and prostitutes did.” (Mt. 21:31-32) Prostitutes preceding priests
into the kingdom! That was strong imagery, and it eventually got Jesus into
trouble. “When the feast of Passover drew near, the chief priests and teachers
of Law were looking for an opportune time to kill Jesus.” (Lk. 22:1-2)
Enters `a woman of the Street’
In today’s gospel Jesus again cuts down to size
society’s assumption that `sex is the sin of sins.’ One day a Pharisee named
Simon invited Jesus to have dinner with him. It is not clear why he asked Jesus
to dine at his house. Perhaps it was because Jesus was popular and it would
help Simon’s own prestige to be seen with such a person. Maybe it was curiosity
and he wanted to find out a bit more about this unusual man who was reported to
be performing miracles and preaching profound sermons. What is clear, however,
is that Simon felt no warmth towards Jesus. He didn’t feel obliged to offer Him
the common courtesies expected of a host, such as arranging for the washing of
his feet and the anointing of his head with oil.
In
the course of the meal there enters `a woman of the
street.’ She begins to weep and bathe His feet with her tears. Then she wipes His
feet with her hair, kisses them and anoints them with perfume. When Simon sees
this, he says to himself, “If this man Jesus were a prophet, he would know what
kind of a woman is touching Him.” Jesus knows what Simon is thinking, and He says to him, “When I came to your house,
hot and sweaty, you didn’t offer me cool clear water to wash my tired and dusty
feet. You didn’t greet me with a kiss. You didn’t anoint my head with oil.” And
then in the same breath Jesus praises the woman of the street. “She however washed
my feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair.” Then Jesus proclaims that
“her many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved much.” (Lk.7:44-46)
A Cardinal
who downsizes sex and upsizes justice
Sex
was not `the sin of sins’ for Jesus. Neither was it for Cardinal Oscar
Rodriquez Maradiaga of Honduras (at one time very ‘papabilis’). Like Jesus he
chooses to downsize sex and upsize justice. He tells a corporate and capitalist
world that injustice is `a greater sin than sex.’ He complains of the media’s persecution
of the Church in the clergy sex abuse scandal. In fiery language, he compares
that treatment to the persecution of Christians under the emperors Nero and
Diocletian, and under the dictators Hitler and Stalin. That angered some people
who cried out, “There go the church leaders again--in denial and blaming
the messenger for the Church’s problem.” Even Fr. Andrew Greely (recently
deceased) labeled the Cardinal as `clueless.’
Maradiaga,
however, is not a crusty foreign prelate out of touch. Neither is he one of
those ecclesiastical paranoids who see enemies of the Church under every rock.
In an interview he made it clear that not for a moment does he question the
sufferings of victims of clergy sex abuse. Not for a moment does he deny the
failure of some bishops to intervene when they should have. But he says he
wants to call into question the exaggerated
emphasis on clergy sex abuse, in a world beset by a host of other mountainous
problems, which, if they are not weightier, are at least as weighty as sex
abuse. The Cardinal mentions a number of those problems:
-Millions of hungry and utterly destitute human beings.
-An AIDS-pandemic
killing off a whole generation of Africans.
-Drug-trafficking
choking off democracy in Latin America.
-1.2 billion people
drinking polluted water.
-The combined salary for 12,000 Nike workers In Indonesia for a whole year not adding up to what one famous basketball player gets for one endorsement. Etc.
In such a world, the Cardinal asks whether
the sex abuse of minors by perhaps 2 percent of priests merits such saturation bombing.
Maradiaga prefers to downsize sex and upsize justice.
A Pope who
upsizes compassion
Pope
Francis downsizes sex and upsizes compassion. Just over two weeks after he was
elected Pope, on Holy Thursday Francis washed and kissed the feet of twelve inmates of the Casa del
Marmo, a juvenile detention center. Indeed, this is going to be a different
papacy. Many were shocked that two of the twelve young people were women. Even
more egregious was the fact that one of them was a Muslim. Among the group were
gypsies and North African immigrants.
Conclusion
Justice
and compassion `trumping sex’
In the Temple Jesus
challenges the one without sin to throw the first stone at the woman caught in
adultery. (Jn. 8:1-11) He also tells the chief priests and Jewish elders that tax collectors and
prostitutes are preceding them into the kingdom of God. (Mt. 21:31)
And in today’s gospel He tells the
self-righteous Pharisee Simon that `the woman of the street’ had been forgiven
much because she had loved much. (Lk
.7:44-46) In the new and burgeoning papacy of Pope
Francis there is great hope and promise that justice and compassion will `trump sex.’
