LOVE IS FORGIVENESS! ~ CookingFood.Org

“SEEDS OF LIFE”

Sunday, 12th June 2016.

Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

2 Sam 12: 7-10, 13;

Ps 32: 1-2, 5, 7, 11;

Gal 2: 16, 19-21;

Lk7: 36 – 8:3.

LOVE IS FORGIVENESS!

“What is forgiveness?” a little boy gave a lovely reply, “It is the wonderful fruit that a tree gives when it is being hurt by a stone. It is the fragrance that the rose sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”

In the Gospel we see two characters, Simon the Pharisee who invited Jesus to dine with him and the woman who experiences God’s forgiveness. Simon the Pharisee desired to dine with Jesus, he invited Him to his house. Jesus does not miss a single opportunity to communicate His love and forgiveness. He knew who Simon was and he accepts his invitation and goes to his house. When invited with a wiling heart Jesus also comes to our house, to our life, to our families .Jesus comes to our house with a new life, with a new message and it is for our conversion.

The woman comes to the house of Simon where Jesus was dining. She was not invited to dine at the Pharisee’s house, but the woman comes straight to Jesus. Her complete attention and concentration was only on Jesus, the one who saves. The woman was humble and loved Jesus, she sat by his feet and was crying and wetting the feet of Jesus with her tears. Her meeting with Jesus is a moment of her conversion .She kissed the feet of Jesus, as a sign of her repentance and the love of her new found Master. The woman poured the perfume that she had brought with her on the feet of Jesus. She experienced the love of Jesus and with great love offered what she had brought with her to Jesus.

Far from being angry or embarrassed, Jesus tells the woman that her sins are now forgiven. It was really her faith and clear repentance which won her forgiveness. Love and sin are incompatible; they cannot co-exist in the same person. She was loving Jesus so much at that moment that she could not be a sinner. At this point her immoral past was totally irrelevant.

We too are given an opportunity today. God wants to come to dine with us, he wants to give us an opportunity to make a new start. He wants to give you his love and forgiveness today, irrespective of your past. Are you willing to love Jesus like the woman in the Gospel? In this year of Mercy, may we accept this call for forgiveness?

Prayer: Lord, I have sinned, have mercy on me, forgive me and fill me with Your love. Amen.