Oboedire "Year of Mercy: Extravagant Love" by J. Steven Harper for Wednesday, 21 September 2016

Oboedire   "Year of Mercy: Extravagant Love" by J. Steven Harper for Wednesday, 21 September 2016

In addition to the two parables that Pope Francis cites in his writing, a supplemental resource entitled 'Parables of Mercy' (published by Our Sunday Visitor) explores five more. Today, we look at Luke 7:36-50, the story Jesus told to explain a woman's extravagant love to the Pharisee who thought it was excessive.
In essence Jesus said that the more we are aware of God's forgiveness, the more extravagant our love will be. The woman was an open book when it came to her need for forgiveness, and having been forgiven by Jesus, she literally poured out her love on his feet as she simultaneously bathed them with her tears of gratitude.
By contrast, the Pharisee had not given much thought to his sinfulness or his need for forgiveness, having concentrated his time and energy identifying "those sinners." Consequently, his love was small and largely limited to whomever he deemed worthy to receive it. In fact, he had parceled love out in small portions to Jesus that very evening--and offered only contempt to the woman.
Mercy does not flow from a forgiveness-starved heart. A religion that leads us to spend our time "naming sinners" but not ever getting around to naming ourselves as sinners will deplete the well of love, replacing it with the throat-choking sand of self-righteousness.
Pope Francis, like Jesus, spends a lot of time with people whom the world calls "sinners" but whom God calls beloved children. He does this so that he might never forget that he too is a sinner and so that the streams of mercy will never cease to flow from his life into the lives of others.
J. Steven Harper

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Categories: Year of Mercy

URL: http://wp.me/p101na-1FC
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Luke 7:36 One of the P’rushim invited Yeshua to eat with him, and he went into the home of the Parush and took his place at the table. 37 A woman who lived in that town, a sinner, who was aware that he was eating in the home of the Parush, brought an alabaster box of very expensive perfume, 38 stood behind Yeshua at his feet and wept until her tears began to wet his feet. Then she wiped his feet with her own hair, kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.

39 When the Parush who had invited him saw what was going on, he said to himself, “If this man were really a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what sort of woman she is, that she is a sinner.” 40 Yeshua answered, “Shim‘on, I have something to say to you.” “Say it, Rabbi,” he replied. 41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; the one owed ten times as much as the other. 42 When they were unable to pay him back, he canceled both their debts. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Shim‘on answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “Your judgment is right,” Yeshua said to him.

44 Then, turning to the woman, he said to Shim‘on, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house — you didn’t give me water for my feet, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair! 45 You didn’t give me a kiss; but from the time I arrived, this woman has not stopped kissing my feet! 46 You didn’t put oil on my head, but this woman poured perfume on my feet! 47 Because of this, I tell you that her sins — which are many! — have been forgiven, because she loved much. But someone who has been forgiven only a little loves only a little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 At this, those eating with him began saying among themselves, “Who is this fellow that presumes to forgive sins?” 50 But he said to the woman, “Your trust has saved you; go in peace.”

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