Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13; Psalm 32; Galatians 2: 16, 19-21; Luke 7: 36-8:3
In our first reading God's wrath is delivered by the prophet Nathan. David not only lusted after Bethsheba, abused power, got her with child, but then sent her husband to the front of the war to cover his sin. This is not only about adultery and murder but the deviousness and manipulation with which God's dearest friend acted. The psalmist tells God he did not hide his sin from God. Wrong! Paul writes to the Galatians what is almost a theme of his: "a person is justified not by works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus." Christ invites us to mysticism as Paul spells it out:"It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me." This mutual union is a mystical union, to which we are called--like the woman anointing Jesus;' feet with her tears and anointing them with precious oil. No matter what her reputation, no matter how great the sin of David, Jesus puts flesh on the forgiveness of God. There seems to be a corollary here: if there is not much in our life that needs forgiveness, perhaps we don't love much.
"Faith in Christ Jesus," Paul writes and this nameless woman exemplifies. Faith means the entrusting of our hearts, sinful and twisted, saintly and straightened, to Jesus, giving him ourselves. How do you feel and how do you act when you feel sinful? Devious, rationalizing, sobbing, denying or....? Talk over as we begin ordinary time your ordinary sins with Jesus and ask his forgiveness. As we begin each Eucharist confessing our need for mercy, let's begin ordinary time in the same way,
Jesus, we adore you! Lay our lives before you! How we love you! Help us to love and forgive (you gift) those who ignore, hurt, insult us. Live in us and act through us that the world may know that God sent you and you send us.