When I reflect on what makes us unhappy in our interpersonal relationships, I almost always come up with one issue – the problem of judging and of being judged. A person becomes rigid, self-imprisoned because of the past experiences of being judged and this in turn, consciously or unconsciously, creates a judgmental mentality that turns off everyone who gets near her or him. Another person, on the other hand, becomes free, creative because s/he feels that s/he has been left to express herself/himself in all honesty without any fear of judgement by another.
The sinful woman in today’s gospel who approached Jesus with such tender acts of love is one example of this liberated person (Lk 7:36-8:3). And only because she believed that Jesus the Prophet was able to read her heart and see all the love that was in there. On the contrary, Simon, the Pharisee, a teacher of the Law, doubted if Jesus was a real prophet. He stuck to his judgment of the woman and even used this to “test” Jesus. His rigid interpretation of the law made him incapable to see things differently and to liberate the love that is within him, even if he knew theoretically that the heart of the law is love.
A very beautiful analysis of this Gospel story is given in my favorite website Crossings. In the “diagnosis” the cause of our “lack of love” is presented this way: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem): According to the law, We Judge Rightly; Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem) : According to the law, We Act Lovelessly; Final Diagnosis (Eternal Problem) : According to the law, We Are Guilty. And this makes us all unhappy people without any "way-out!"
But fortunately, the Gospel continues and we realize that the "cure" for our case is revealed in the words of Jesus to the woman: “Your sins are forgiven. (…) Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
It is in living by faith and not by the law that we are saved. The Initial Prognosis (Eternal Solution) is: Living by Faith, We Are Forgiven; Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution): Living by Faith, We Love; Final Prognosis (External Solution): Living by Faith, We Hold on to Jesus. For the details of this biblical interpretation, you can click here.
Indeed as Jesus demonstrated to Simon, the law does not have the last word in God's reign. It is not our judgments of ourselves and of others that will save us. It is our faith in Jesus, it is in holding on to Him, that we will be able to liberate all the love that we have inside us - Love manifest in giving second, third, infinite chances, both to ourselves and to others, as Jesus himself has done in our regard.
This Sunday, let us ask for the grace to be able to say with St. Paul "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. ... And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:19-20, cf. Second Reading).
By the way, today is also Father’s Day. Please join me in blessing God for all fathers especially for those who know how to bring out the best – God’s very own image – in their children.
The sinful woman in today’s gospel who approached Jesus with such tender acts of love is one example of this liberated person (Lk 7:36-8:3). And only because she believed that Jesus the Prophet was able to read her heart and see all the love that was in there. On the contrary, Simon, the Pharisee, a teacher of the Law, doubted if Jesus was a real prophet. He stuck to his judgment of the woman and even used this to “test” Jesus. His rigid interpretation of the law made him incapable to see things differently and to liberate the love that is within him, even if he knew theoretically that the heart of the law is love.
A very beautiful analysis of this Gospel story is given in my favorite website Crossings. In the “diagnosis” the cause of our “lack of love” is presented this way: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem): According to the law, We Judge Rightly; Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem) : According to the law, We Act Lovelessly; Final Diagnosis (Eternal Problem) : According to the law, We Are Guilty. And this makes us all unhappy people without any "way-out!"
But fortunately, the Gospel continues and we realize that the "cure" for our case is revealed in the words of Jesus to the woman: “Your sins are forgiven. (…) Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
It is in living by faith and not by the law that we are saved. The Initial Prognosis (Eternal Solution) is: Living by Faith, We Are Forgiven; Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution): Living by Faith, We Love; Final Prognosis (External Solution): Living by Faith, We Hold on to Jesus. For the details of this biblical interpretation, you can click here.
Indeed as Jesus demonstrated to Simon, the law does not have the last word in God's reign. It is not our judgments of ourselves and of others that will save us. It is our faith in Jesus, it is in holding on to Him, that we will be able to liberate all the love that we have inside us - Love manifest in giving second, third, infinite chances, both to ourselves and to others, as Jesus himself has done in our regard.
This Sunday, let us ask for the grace to be able to say with St. Paul "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. ... And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:19-20, cf. Second Reading).
By the way, today is also Father’s Day. Please join me in blessing God for all fathers especially for those who know how to bring out the best – God’s very own image – in their children.
