By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily Sept. 19, 2024, during the final Mass with archdiocesan priests gathered for their annual convocation, Sept. 17-19, 2024.
Each of the four Gospels has an account of the washing of Jesus' feet by a woman. Scripture scholars would agree that the accounts of Matthew, Mark and John are essentially about the same incident. Luke's account, (Luke 7: 36-50) however, is significantly different so that many authorities would hold that what we have heard in Luke's account is unique and thus refers to a different incident than the one recorded in the other Gospels.
The story is touching in its drama. Three characters are involved: Jesus, Simon the Pharisee and the unnamed woman with a soiled reputation.
It is easy for church people – and certainly for us, their pastors-to fall into the self-righteousness of Simon the Pharisee and to quickly judge the motives of others. We can protest that such a characterization is unfair – and maybe it could be. But there are many people today who would accuse us, church people, of being as narrow-minded, judgmental, self-righteous, as the Pharisees were in Jesus’s time.
So, we can imagine how difficult it must had to been for her to endure the nasty looks of Simon and those with him in order to meet Jesus.
But apparently it was worth it for her. She had – in spite of her sins – great faith. She is a sinner – a hardened woman. Such women do not cry easily. But tears flow – and with such abundance they supply the water and her long hair (perhaps the mark of her trade) supplies for the towel.
Sometimes, we see in people we would consider “far away” from the Church expressions of faith – like the faith of this unnamed woman – that should put us to shame – for what we wouldn't do for Jesus, they do!
It was Simon's house – so you would expect that he had at hand a basin, water and a towel to wash and dry Jesus' dusty feet. Yet he didn't. What we heard in Luke suggests that the woman came to do something additional to what Jesus should have expected of Simon – to perfume Jesus' feet after Simon's people had washed them. But she washes his feet with her tears and then perfume them.
A great sinner, Simon thinks. But Jesus tells Simon – she sinned much; you say? I say, she loved even more.
Unlike Simon, Jesus did not feel that to be holy – to be clean – meant to distance himself from sinners. Jesus didn't mind the smell of the sheep; he didn't even mind having his feet scented with the perfume of a harlot.
Jesus had something to say to Simon. Does he have something to say to us?
