A Few Words On "The Word"

June 17, 2007
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Luke 7:36-8:3

Take a Shower!

There once was a little girl who lived entirely in the wild. She scavenged for nuts, berries, and roots and, as a result, got really dirty. Her hair was long and tangled with twigs, her face nearly unrecognizable beneath all the mud. The thought never occurred to her to actually try to clean herself and she probably wouldn't have known how to anyway.

One day during her never-ending search for food she encountered the only other person she had ever seen. She quickly noticed that this person wasn't covered in dirt and seemed to glow as a result! Seeing the state she was in, the stranger led her to water and helped her bathe. The little girl soon discovered how freeing it was to be clean. She wondered how she had ever managed to live while covered in dirt.

You may wonder what this story actually has to do with today's gospel. Throughout his ministry Jesus encountered people that the religious leaders considered unclean. Why? The reason is that because of the way they lived or the people they associated with. In this particular story a woman who is a known sinner finds Jesus and begins to wash his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair before anointing them with oil.

As usual, several people who witnessed this scene began to object to Jesus' association with an unclean person. Through her service the woman shows her repentance and appreciation for the freedom offered by God through Jesus. The woman leaves overjoyed and impacted by Jesus' acceptance. God's goodness, God's forgiveness and love, offered her the ability to offer what she had to others.

Are we any different than the dirty little girl or the woman in Luke's gospel? Like them we too find ourselves striving for the experience of freedom. We too have encountered a freeing presence in our lives luring us toward freedom. A relationship with Jesus is all about turning to God in faith, allowing God to free us from all that impairs our freedom, allowing God to overwhelm us, and sharing that overwhelming love with the world.

If we are truly cleansed every time we repent shouldn't we be trying to find actions that show our thanks for what God is doing for us? Shouldn't we live in a way that visibly demonstrates the change God's grace has brought about for us? As individuals who knowingly need continual cleaning, we must strive to bring others to the source of our cleansing. We must wash other's feet with our tears, realizing that we find Jesus in those around us, showing our appreciation by serving those who also need Jesus' cleansing water.

Reflection Question

In what ways has Jesus acceptance and forgiveness of you helped you in your role as a peacebuilder?

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