Service, Hospitality, Forgiveness

A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,                       
and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
"If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Simon, I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."
He said to him, "You have judged rightly."
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
"Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,      

but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little."
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The others at table said to themselves,
"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman,


At the time of Jesus, everyone wore sandals or went barefoot. If a Pharisee (or anyone else for that matter) wanted to keep his house clean, well, he would have to offer the visitor a way to wash his feet which would have been dirty and dusty from the road.  This service was the custom and guests expected it. This particular Pharisee did not think much of Jesus (or his house, I guess) because Jesus was offered no way to wash his feet when he arrived.   A woman, who is described as a sinful woman, entered the house and cleaned Jesus' feet with her tears of repentance and anointed them with expensive ointment.  The Pharisee knew she was a sinful woman.  How he knew was probably from time to time he used her services otherwise why would she feel so free to enter the house?  This woman provided what the Pharisee did not and showed Jesus that she was sorry for the way she was living her life and she took what she had heard Jesus say over time and repented of her sins.  Her hospitality, her service, the love she showed for Jesus in her actions gave her that what she needed most, forgiveness for her sins. 

The poor souls in Purgatory are waiting for your prayers. Please do not forget them.