The Pharisee in Sunday’s Gospel shows no signs of love nor forgiveness but instead signs of being judgmental and unforgiving. He is judging a woman who bathes Jesus’ feet with her tears as being a sinner. She is undeserving of forgiveness. The Pharisee does not judge himself a sinner. He judges himself as saved and thus not needing forgiveness. The Pharisee is a member of the ruling class. He controls the woman’s life. He controls the social judgments that make up the world in which they both live. It is a world in which rulers make the judgment of sinner versus saved; in which forgiveness is or is not extended.
Who and what controls our world and its judgments? Is it modern day Pharisees? Can the rulers of institutional Christianity be described as such? Do they too control a cruel world that justifies the sin of elites while it causes commoners to suffer, women especially? Will the Pharisees of our world ever kneel before a woman they hurt and ask for forgiveness? It seems unlikely as Pharisees tend not to know their sin while they think they know the sin of women. What sin is the woman in the Gospel guilty of committing? Perhaps she cut the wages of those who labor at a business she started within a matrix of communal funding; unless it’s more likely it’s her wages that were cut. If she’s poor now, is that a sin? If so whose sin is it? Perhaps she gutted the retirement income of workers; unless it’s more likely her own retirement has been gutted. If she’s dependent now, is that a sin? Whose sin is it? Perhaps she outsourced jobs for lower labor costs and spent her 300 to 1 CEO to worker salary on charity dinners and an extra yacht; unless it’s more likely she is in want of a salary to spend on food and shelter. If she’s homeless now, is that a sin? Whose sin is it? Perhaps she gambled billions of dollars of workers mortgage payments and bank savings on Wall Street and then was bailed out with billions more for the services they offer the Pharisee class, unless it’s more likely she’s the one offering services to the Pharisee class. That’s it, she is probably a prostitute. Now we know what sin is – as judged by the Pharisees of our world.
The woman in the Gospel has no name. She has a great many tears though, they’ve been abundant. Her kisses too have been plentiful. She’s shared the oil of anointing generously. The love shown from the woman to Jesus and Jesus to her has been lavish. Thus we learn from Jesus all there is to know about sin and forgiveness.
Prayer: Dear Spirit, I forgive all those whose actions cause people to suffer across the entire world and ask forgiveness for the suffering I’ve caused others.
Question: Who are the people or circumstances that make forgiveness more difficult for me and what do I do about that?
June 16, 2013 – Gospel Luke 7:35-8:3 Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time