TWO ANOINTINGS
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Fr. Raymond ....
Sent: Tuesday, 18 June 2013, 18:23
Subject: 2 Anointings
From: Fr. Raymond ....
Subject: 2 Anointings
THE TWO ANOINTINGS OF JESUS FEET
Sometimes in the Gospels we find two stories, two incidents in the life of Jesus that are strikingly similar although they happen at different times and in different places. We have, for example, today’s story of the anointing of Jesus feet by the sinful woman, compared with the story of the anointing of Jesus feet by Mary of Bethany a week or so before his passion.
The anointing of his feet by a woman is the common link between these stories, but there the similarity ends.
In the first story the setting is in the house of a stranger; a stranger who, in fact is not very much of a host. Jesus even complains about his lack of hospitality. In the second story, the anointing at Bethany, Jesus is in the house of his very dear and special friends; Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He knows how much they love him and how much they revere him.
Both stories are about an act of great love, but the first anointing is one that is all about a love that is repentant for a life of sin. The second anointing, however, is not about sin at all it is an act of love, spontaneous love, pure and simple.
Why then should both acts of love; a repentant love, and a pure and simple love, be put to us in the gospel in such a similar way? Surely it is so that we will compare them in our minds and hearts and learn something from the comparison! I think that one of the things we can learn from this comparison is that, no matter how much we may have sinned in the past, our repentant love means as much to Jesus as the love of those who have remained innocent and pure.
“Many sins have been forgiven her because she has loved much”
“There is more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety nine who have no need of repentance.”
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