Pope Francis once said that the glasses we need to recognize Jesus are our own tears. Pope Francis at morning masses and papal audiences will sometimes ask the congregation or crowd when was the last time they weeped and then ask if they remember Jesus being present in that moment. It doesn’t matter if it was tears of joy or sadness because Jesus is present in all moments. For myself, the last time I cried was three weeks ago at my priesthood ordination; and boy, did I cry like a baby. It’s in the moments that move us to tears that we should be able to see Jesus standing with us and sharing in our emotions of either joy or sorrow.
The poor woman in our Gospel today was so sorrowful that her tears were abundant enough to wash Jesus’ feet. Now, all we know about this woman is what the Pharisee tells us: “she’s a sinner.” The Pharisee, who invited Jesus to dinner, was looking for a way to prove that Jesus is no prophet or special person and the fact that Jesus allowed this sinner to touch him gave the Pharisee his “proof.” No man of God, no prophet, would let a sinner touch him. The funny thing is, Jesus was already sitting down to dinner with a sinner: the Pharisee.
Now, my brothers and sisters, there is a temptation to read this Gospel in a hierarchical and misogynistic way in which Jesus only forgives this woman because she washed Jesus’ feet. This is the wrong way to read the Gospel because thats not love. God is Love and if we ever attempt to separate the two we are in trouble. We can never separate God from Love because God is Love. We know that Jesus doesn’t forgive her because she washes his feet based on our first reading.
King David, as we heard in the first reading, committed an awful sin of sleeping with his friends wife, getting her pregnant, and then made his friend fight on the front lines so that he would be killed before ever knowing that David slept with his wife. I mean, that’s just awful! But, after some time of sorrow and reflection, and some punishments from God, David goes to the prophet Nathan and says: “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan, knowing these are not empty words, responds for God by telling David: “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin.”
You see, my brothers and sisters, it’s not about doing great acts of charity as a means to clear the slate of all the things we’ve done wrong. David didn’t do anything to balance the scale of his awful sins; but, he was contrite and sincerely went to God for forgiveness. The poor woman in our Gospel didn’t have to wash Jesus’ feet, but her heart was in so much pain that she felt compelled to show love and mercy to others in hope that mercy would be shown back to her. A shady business person can’t just write a fat check to their favorite charity and think that will make up for their shady business practices the whole year. I tell my parents all the time that having a son who’s a priest isn’t a free ticket into heaven! We need to be truly sorry for our sins and go to God seeking his mercy and forgiveness.
When it comes down to it, my brothers and sisters, its all about the disposition of our own hearts. It’s from our hearts that come the emotions that set off our tears. If we have put on Christ, as St. Paul tells us in our second reading, then we will have the right disposition of our own hearts. If we have put on Christ then we will love as Christ loves, we will feel as Christ feels, we will forgive as Christ forgives, and we will be one with the Father as Christ is one with the Father. The woman in our Gospel poured out tears because of her sinfulness and sought Gods mercy from Jesus, David went to the prophet Nathan seeking Gods forgiveness, we now go to both the altar and the priests seeking Gods forgiveness. And you know what? We get forgiven every time as long as we are sincere and sorry.
We don’t have to do things in order to receive God’s mercy. Jesus already did the only thing that matters: he died on the cross and rose from the dead. St. Paul says it best in our second reading: “I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” Put on Christ today. Become who you will receive in the Eucharist. Know that Jesus, who is God, loves you so much that he gave his life for you and no sin is greater than His love.