11th Sunday, C, June 17,2007

Scripture: II Samuel 12:7-10,13. Psalm 32. Gal. 2:16,19-21. Luke 7:36-8:3. Often the Gospel Acclamations give us the heart of the message from the readings. Today that is the case as we acclaim, "Alleluia, Alleluia! God first loved us and sent his Son to take away our sins." Creative love, compassion, and restoration of that first love through forgiveness are again and again given to us in this Sunday's readings. In the first reading, the great lover of God has failed in God's initial and creative love by two great sins--murder of Uriah, his trusted general, and then through adultery with Uriah's wife Bethsheba. Nathan, the prophet of David's royal court, confronts him and he sincerely repents and God restores him to his love and friendship. We sense this in the Psalm and its response which is attributed to David, "Lord, forgive the wrong I have done." In the second reading, Paul always helps us to center our lives on the Paschal Mysteries of redemption through the death of Jesus upon the Cross. Here is where the redemptive love of Jesus is absolute, unconditional, and mercifully compassionate. It is here where we are restored to the creative-redemption we experienced in our baptism. Paul then shouts out to us, "I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." Then in the Gospel from Luke we experience the beautiful love of the woman who offers Jesus hospitality by her washing his feet, drying them with her hair, and then anointing them. Jesus was not given the ordinary signs of hospitality by the owner of the house, a religiously minded person. It had to take this woman's courageous and humiliating presence to welcome Jesus as a guest. Though the woman was a known sinner with many failings, Jesus is moved to compassion and forgives her all of her sins and failings. He then uses a parable to teach a lesson to his host and his religious friends. Then Jesus directly addresses Simon the host and says, " I tell you, her sins, which were many have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." Jesus then said to her, Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Ella Allen, says it so well in this way, "This story invites us to an experience of love. Through the eyes of the woman we experience intimacy with Jesus. We are also challenged to see her through Jesus' eyes, and to mirror his compassion in the way we see ourselves and view others. With Jesus, we are asked to be counter-cultural; to model love rather than judgment, welcome rather than rejection." (Living with Christ, June, 2007, p.97).