Today’s Scripture readings, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and Luke 7:36-50, are filled with fundamental teachings.
In Corinthians, St. Paul presents us with the basic creed of our Christian faith:
“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
- that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures’
- that He was buried;
- that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
The Resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. Paul, himself, says that if Christ were not raised from the dead then our faith is useless. The Good News is that Christ was raised from the dead.
St. Paul goes on to say, “But by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace to me has not been ineffective..”
Paul accepts himself. He accepts his life story. He was a committed Pharisee who aggressively persecuted the followers of Jesus before his conversion. He was a fiery personality who lived with “a thorn in his flesh.” He was a conflicted man but a man passionately devoted to Jesus – and he died for Jesus.
The Gospel is about the Pharisee who invited Jesus to dinner and the “sinful woman” who washed the feet of Jesus with a flask of ointments and dried his feet with her hair. Scandalous in the eyes of the Pharisee! The story teaches us that judgementalism is death and that the actions of love are life giving.
The Pharisee is a strict observer of the Law but he lacks the spirit of the Law. Pope Francis would say that he lacks the “medicine of mercy.” He judges both the woman who is a public sinner and Jesus who should know better! Jesus, for his part, sees only the heart of the woman: “…I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love.” She is forgiven and saved by her actions of love!
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