First Reading: (1 Corinthians 15:1–11)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 118)
Response: Give praise to the Lord, for he is good.
Gospel Acclamation:
Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: (Luke 7:36–50)
Reflection
Today's Gospel invites us to focus on the sinful woman and on her profound act of love toward Jesus.
When we sin and go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are expected to show sorrow for our sins. It is not enough simply to say, “I have gone to confession,” or merely to recite the sinful acts we have committed. We are expected to demonstrate genuine remorse.
How sorry are we for what we have done?
Sorrow for sin is demonstrated in two ways.
First, we acknowledge what we have done. We accept responsibility. This is what we say at the beginning of Holy Mass: “Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.”
We acknowledge that we are guilty. We do not blame another person.
When we go to confession, we should not say, “My neighbor caused me to do it,” or “My child made me do it,” or “My husband or wife made me do it.” Even if someone influenced or pressured us, we ultimately made the decision to act. We must take responsibility for our actions.
Like Adam, we can always point to somebody else: “I would not have eaten the apple if the woman had not given it to me.” But Adam still chose to eat. We too must accept responsibility for our choices.
Secondly, we must do something to demonstrate that we are truly sorry. When we say we are sorry, our actions should give evidence that we mean what we say.
For example, if a husband hurts his wife, or a wife hurts her husband, it is good to acknowledge the wrong and say, “I am sorry.” But genuine sorrow should also lead us to make amends.
This is what we mean by reparation.
Reparation is an act done to make amends for a wrong that has been committed. It is an effort to repair the damage caused by our actions.
We cannot simply say, “I am sorry,” and walk away as though nothing happened.
If I tell a lie and damage someone's reputation, saying “I am sorry” is important, but I should also do what I can to repair the person's good name.
If I damage someone's car and say, “I am sorry,” I must also take responsibility for repairing the damage.
That is reparation.
The sinful woman in today's Gospel acknowledged her sin through her tears. She wept at the feet of Jesus. She demonstrated sorrow. And then she anointed his feet with costly ointment.
Her love became an expression of reparation.
Sin is a breaking away from God's love. Through her repentance and love, she sought to return to that love and demonstrate that her heart had changed.
This is why Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 4:8 that “love covers a multitude of sins.” When we sin and genuinely repent, our sorrow should produce a changed life and acts of charity.
We can make reparation by returning what we have taken, repairing what we have damaged, restoring what we have spoiled, and doing good where we have caused harm.
If we have stolen money, we should return it.
If we have damaged someone's reputation, we should make an effort to restore that person's good name.
If we have cheated someone, we should make amends.
We see this clearly in Zacchaeus in Luke 19. His encounter with Jesus produced concrete change. He promised to repay those whom he had cheated.
Reparation is not merely an emotion. It is repentance expressed through action.
We should weep for our sins and recognize the seriousness of what we have done. Peter wept after his betrayal. The sinful woman wept at the feet of Jesus. Their tears expressed regret and remorse.
Let us never take pleasure in sin. Let us never brag about our sins or glory in evil. We are not heroes because we have done something wrong.
Even more dangerous is losing our sense of sin altogether-reaching the point where we can do something wrong and no longer recognize that anything is wrong.
So we must ask ourselves: How truly sorry are we for our sins? And if we are truly sorry, what reparation are we making?
Reparation also means a changed life.
We cannot continually return to the same sins while saying that we are sorry. True repentance calls us to turn away from sin and move toward God.
The sinful woman came to Jesus one way, but she left with the assurance of forgiveness: “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Let us therefore bring our sins honestly before Christ. Let us accept responsibility. Let us sincerely repent. Let us make whatever reparation we can. And above all, let our repentance produce a changed life.
When we say, “I am sorry,” let us truly mean it.
And when we ask God for forgiveness, let us allow his grace to transform the way we live.
Amen.
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