The Pharisee and the Woman

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The Gospel today presents to us a contrast between a man and a woman. One is the host and the other is the woman who is uninvited. Simon is a Pharisee and prides himself in being at a distance between himself and those who are sinners. He gives Jesus a place at table and speaks to him with respect. This would have been considered a risk because Jesus had already got a reputation for being a blasphemer. For Simon a meal like this would have been a good and I am sure would told the world and their mother about it.

You can imagine his annoyance that in fact a woman, with no name, steals the limelight. She may well have been a prostitute and not a welcome guest at the table. Her welcome of Jesus is completely different to that of Simon. She is overcome by emotion kisses the feet of Jesus and dries his feet with her hair.
Notice the difference between the two. Simon is proper and correct with his greeting of Jesus and the woman although a sinner is over flowing with love. Jesus response to her is one of love and forgiveness. He looks on the woman with such great love that he forgives her. He can see her potential to be a better person because he has looked on her in love.

The Gospel teaches us something about how we accept and bring Jesus into our lives. Are we the formal type of person who invites Jesus into our lives but only on our own terms and when it suits me? Do we talk to him politely and not make ourselves vulnerable in front of him?

I suspect that we are all a little like this at different times of our lives and situations that arrive.

Jesus shows us though that he would like us to be more open to his love allow him to touch us and enter into a relationship with him. In this relationship like the Woman we can feel his touch we can feel his love we can “Go in Peace” knowing that we are forgiven and loved.

So let us learn from this story and give some thought about our own relationship with Jesus and how we experience him in our lives.  

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