October 13, 2014 Monday of the Twenty-first Week after Pentecost Wisdom’s Children, continued – Love Much: Luke 7:36-50, especially vs. 47: “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” Wisdom’s children keep the Lord Jesus’ word, regardless of whether He is asking us to repent, to “leave all,” or even to accept death in His name. We keep the Lord’s word because Wisdom meets us in the deepest chamber of our hearts – the deep center of our being. Wisdom completes us, not by edicts or alien commands, but by affirming us as new creations (2 Cor 5:17). Naturally, Wisdom’s children turn to Him and seize the sure and steadfast hope He offers (Heb 6:19). The present passage from Saint Luke reveals the Lord’s power to renew our lives. A sinful woman disregards propriety to express her love and adoration for our Lord. This child of Wisdom is meeting Love Himself. She encounters a kind of love she has never experienced, nor even imagined. from the One who cleanses and heals His children wordlessly. As Wisdom and Love, He renews her heart. In return, she loves Him much. He yearns to do the same for us! We can best appreciate this woman’s heart by reviewing the ministry of Christ our God prior to the event. When He begins His public ministry, “news of Him went out through all the surrounding region” (Lk 4:14). Everyone glorified Him because He spoke to the poor, the disenfranchised, the brokenhearted, and those in bondage (vs. 18). The sinful woman who comes that evening to Simon’s house identifies with those who have been welcomed by Jesus (vs. 7:37). She has sold herself; disenfranchised and brokenhearted, she finds herself trapped, as a result of her choices, on the dark margins of society. She knows that this man (vs. 39) serves the poor, the alienated, the grieving, and the enslaved. These broken ones, especially, glorify Him because He cares for them! His authoritative power is wrapped in forgiveness and loving compassion (vs. 4:35, 41; 5:5-7, 13, 20; 6:10; 7:13-14). This broken women acts in sure hope and love – and attains release from her sins. She never says a word to Him. Indeed, if we peruse the record of the evangelist, we discover that few who experience His love have much to say. The liberated demoniac remains silent (vs. 4:35). Simon Peter’s mother-in-law simply arises and serves Him (vs. 39). Peter merely blurts out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (vs. 5:8). Matthew follows Him without a word (vs. 28). Even the widow who receives her son from the dead does not speak (vs. 7:15)! The love of God often renders us speechless, even as He empowers us. The wordless actions of the woman in this Gospel embody love. She worships Christ, pouring out her grief over her estranged existence and kissing the feet of the Man she perceives to be the God of love, compassion, and forgiveness. The sinful woman anoints the blessed feet that draw near to her life, and as a result she stands among the world’s greatest theologians. She understands the icon with the precision of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. Her Christology recognizes His two natures, God and Man. She teaches us how to worship God through her adoration of the living icon of Christ, the Wisdom of God. Why does she respond to Him in this way? Very simply, He raises her from the dead! Another sinner, the Prophet David, says, “A heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise” (Ps 50:17). We echo his words in the liturgy as we receive Love Himself, praying before the Little Entrance: “Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our God.” Thou, O Christ, dost bring us into being and raise us up again when we fall away. – From the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:35:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015