2 Samuel 12: 7-10, 13
Galatians 2: 16, 19-21
Luke 7: 36-8:3
We are now in liturgical season
called Ordinary Time, and I think we can see a different tone in today’s
Scripture readings. During the Easter
Season, and on Pentecost Sunday, we see that the readings where full of hope,
love, and peace. In today’s readings, we
see that three letter word that makes all of us uncomfortable: …sin. My feeling is that the Church, after all the
celebrations of Easter, Pentecost, and Corpus
Christi; when we all may be on a spiritual high; is
giving us a reality check. Yes, we are
Easter people; we do believe and follow our Risen Lord. But we are still human; we can still be
tempted by sin.
I found several definitions of sin
in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Sin ”is a failure in genuine love of
God and neighbor causes by perverse attachment to certain goods.” (1849) “Sin is an offense against God…sets itself
against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it.” (1850)
And we are all capable of
committing sin; whether we are regular folks or among the bright, rich, and
powerful. We see that illustrated in
today’s readings. The first reading
tells the story of King David. David, who
was one of the key figures in the history of ancient Israel. God selected him to take over the throne of Israel from King
Saul; had Solomon anoint him as King.
The hand of God was over David, protecting him, making him a powerful
leader. And after all that God had for
him one would think David would acknowledge that, and obey God’s
commandment. Instead he wanted more, he
wanted Bathsheba. And he was willing to
kill for her. God, through the prophet
Nathan, brings David to account for himself, to acknowledge his sin.
In the Gospel, we read of a
Pharisee, by the name of Simon, who invited Jesus to dinner. Now the Pharisees prided themselves on
keeping the Law of Moses, even to the smallest passage of the Law. Yet, we read that he failed to extend
hospitality to Jesus, which was required by Jewish custom of the times. And he looked at the sinful woman, who came
in to wash and anoint Jesus’ feet, and did not feel compassion for her, but
disgust. Jesus, very cleverly calls
Simon to account for his sins.
Yet, today’s Scriptures are not
primarily about sin; but it is revealing to us the great compassion of
God. He is always ready to forgive us,
no matter how great or small is the offense we may have committed. But we, like King David, and the sinful
woman, need to humbly come before the Father, and acknowledge that we have
faltered in following his Son, and that we need his forgiveness and his
healing. It is for this reason that
Jesus Christ gave us the Sacrament of Penance, the sacrament of
Reconciliation. Through the words of
absolution pronounced by the priest, we experience what that woman experienced,
the forgiveness of the Father. And also,
like that woman, we will experience the peace of Christ.
Yet, how many of us are willing to
come to the sacrament of reconciliation; how many of us are denying ourselves
this experience of the Father’s love.
Perhaps we need, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to reflect on the
current state of our lives, examine our relationship with the Father, our
families, and neighbors. And know that
whatever we realize about ourselves, our failures and sins, Jesus is there with
us, ready to forgive us, ready to say, “Go in peace.”
