Our gospel today reflects many ancient Jewish customs. Jesus is invited for dinner to the home of Simon, a Pharisee. It is no exaggeration to state that women lived in the shadows of the men during the time of Jesus. Yet, a woman, evidently known by the host to be sinful in her life—perhaps publicly disgraced in some form, crashes the dinner to see Jesus—imagine being Simon and seeing this woman humble herself before your guest. Uninvited, she risked her life to show reverence to Jesus. The story magnifies what Jesus will teach in the encounter. 

 

Through researching this gospel I learned that historical documents revealed that good Jewish people in high standing, like Simon the Pharisee would be forced to feed those who were called “shadow people”—public sinners, homeless, widows, orphans, if they were able and desperate enough to risk sneaking in among the invited guests.

 

Once again we are given several lessons by the Lord—about rightful treatment of all people—regardless of their sinfulness, their poverty or wealth. Prevalent in his lessons are concern welcome of the “stranger” the “outcast” as a reflection our welcome of the Lord into our homes—into our lives. And there another prevalent teaching is about reconciling forgiveness and its power to heal.

 

Simon, serves as a backdrop for another powerful lesson we all need to receive form time/time—what do we do about our hypocrisy—our faulty self-righteous judgment of others? The entire story is wrapped up in the love offered to us through forgiveness--through faith in the Lord and through His faith in our goodness—the core of how we are seen by Him.

 

“Your sins are forgiven” says Jesus. What a huge blessing that is to us, offered over and over through the gift of the Sacrament of Confession. Such healing forgiveness is opened to us as we examine our sense of moral responsibility and a conscientious effort to seek forgiveness in the Sacrament instituted by the Lord.

 

Sadly, over the years, the numbers of people seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation is declining. Do we no longer have a sense of culpability for our wrong deeds/acts? It seems to me—that when we become comfortable socially and economic security increases, our sense of sinfulness declines! Is there a link to Simon the Pharisee here?

 

How do the majority of Catholics today turn to the Lord for the grace to rid such things that cause judgment and condemnation, belittlement and hatred, mockery in humor; or perhaps one of the biggies—the refusal to forgive and be reconciled with others?

 

What has replaced the Sacrament of Confession? I hear some Catholics say they go to God alone in silent privacy and ask forgiveness—stating that they don’t need to come to a man to confess and be forgiven. That is not the same as the Sacrament of Reconciliation—it is the preparation for the Sacrament.  

 

The Lord knows we need to verbalize our sinfulness—get it out of our head and say it out loud, to verbalize our penitence--in order to verbally hear and receive His absolution in the complete security that what we say is held sacred and confidential unto death by his priests.

By the actions of his grace through his priests in the Sacrament of Confession healing takes place--union with Him as we are prepared for intimacy in His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. We hear him say, as he did to the woman at Simon’s house, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” I have received and given absolution on behalf of the Lord and his Church; --and seen its healing power.

 

We can’t wash Jesus’s feet and anoint him to show our gratitude. But he is still with us; we are called to look for him especially in the shadow people. Like people who are wounded military personnel too easily forgotten living in veteran’s homes; or the refugees from Palestine whose faces keep showing up on the evening news, the women in protective shelters that have suffered spousal abuse, the children with bloated stomachs due to malnutrition. There are lots of shadow people all around us who help provide for our comfortable lives in this nation, out to labor and back in to hide in the shadows of illegal immigration. We all know many forms of shadow people that through our charity and compassion, we are to help bring into the light and love of Christ.

 

On this Father’s Day weekend that honors the values of family life, let us honor the values of Christ, and the mission of welcoming people out of the shadows into the family of God. Let us continue the work of the Church in its social teachings and seek reform for just lives and do our part to let His light shine with hope for so many who despair.

Fr. Gordon