Thursday
19th September 2019. Read Timothy 4:12-16, Psalm 111 and Luke 7:36-50.
_“Therefore
I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he
who is forgiven little, loves little.” *(Luke 7:47)*_
In today’s
Gospel passage, we encounter a woman who received forgiveness of her sins as a
reward for her act of humility and love. She had a bad reputation in the
community so much so that Gospel writer does not mention her name but simply
refers to her as a “sinner.”
This woman,
however, did not allow her bad name to prevent her from displaying the content
of her heart at the feet of Jesus. Words were not enough to express her
contrition so she simply cried. She cried so much that upon discovering she had
wet the feet of Jesus with her tears, she used her hair (her pride) to wipe
them. Then she brought out her alabaster flask of ointment to anoint the feet
of Jesus.
If we were
to analyse step by step the action of this woman in this Gospel passage, we
would see that each time we make a good confession, we are basically doing the
same thing this woman did.
1. She
would have decided to stay in her room and simply pray to God for forgiveness
but she had to come to Jesus in a rather public place. For many people, their
major problem with the sacrament of confession is how to bring themselves
before a priest to talk about issues that are very personal to them. This is
the humiliating part of confession, taking out one’s secrets before another.
Humility is
an important step to receiving forgiveness of sins. It is bringing ourselves to
the realization that we have not been perfect, that we need help and we cannot
help ourselves. It is funny how we are not ashamed of confessing our dirtiest
secrets to our doctor out of the fear dying or our lawyer so as to win a case
in court but when it comes to saving our souls from eternal damnation, we
prefer to lock ourselves in a room.
2. She was
sorry for her sins. The foundation of a good confession is sincere sorrow for
our sins. If we were to come to terms with the gravity of betraying a lover
(God) who loved us to the point of sacrificing his child for us, we would weep
for our sins. Upon seeing the face of Jesus when the cock crowed the third
time, Peter could not hold back his tears. Although we are not required to cry
at the confessional, we must be truly sorry for our sins at least from our
heart.
3. Another
thing this woman did was to pour and expensive ointment over the feet of Jesus.
This oil must have caused her a fortune yet did not mind “wasting” it on the
feet of Jesus. Forgiveness comes at a cost. When God offers us forgiveness, we
do not just collect it with empty hands. We must let go of something; a
sacrifice has to be made. This sacrifice is what is known as PENANCE.
Penance is
that which the priest asks us to do when we go for confession. Penance is the
expensive oil that we pour at the feet of Jesus. Even if the penance you are
given seems light and easy bear in mind that it is a sacrifice (not a punishment);
it is your alabaster jar and God sees your heart while you are offering your
penance.
4. At the
end of the day, Jesus said: “Do you see this woman? … I tell you, her sins,
which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” And facing the woman, Jesus
said to her: “Your sins are forgiven.” There is something extraordinary about
hearing “your sins are forgiven”, it is always uplifting and powerful. You feel
like a newborn baby again. Of course, you cannot tell yourself “your sins are
forgiven” you need to hear those words from a priest standing in the person of
Christ at the confessional.
*What if I
stay in my room? Will God withhold his forgiveness from me?*
5. Of
course, God will never withhold forgiveness from a humble and contrite heart
just as God will never refuse prayer requests because you prayed in your room. Sacramental
confession is taking a step further, it is taking advantage of the gift of Jesus
Christ when he gave power to His Apostles to forgive sins in His Name. (John
20:23).
6. Sacramental
confession is ensuring that you become accountable at least to someone. If you
are really ready to stop a particular sin, a bad habit or an addiction you must
talk about it. Silence about our sins is one weapon the devil uses against us. You
would not want to repeat the sin knowing you are going to meet the priest
again.
7. In
sacramental confession, we receive wise counsel free of charge. Do not assume
you know how to avoid sin. The priest is a well-trained professional who has acquired
years of experience listening to people and solving all kinds of cases. (You don’t
want to know what the priest hears!) What we get freely at the confessional is
what many pay thousands of dollars to get in the name of counselling.
8.
Finally, every priest is bound by the oath of confessional secrecy. Whatever is
said at the confessional dies there. The moment the words of absolution have
been said, your sins have been forgiven and it is as though you never committed
any of those sins. Even God does not remember your sins anymore.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, increase my love for you so that I may rather choose to die
than commit even the slightest offence against you. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of the
24th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Timothy 4:12-16, Psalm 111 and Luke
7:36-50)
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