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."
We have been forgiven a debt so large we could never repay it. The sheer grace of existence was already a gift we couldn't earn even before sin put us even more into debt. Jesus washes away our sins. He forgives the entire debt. Do we realize it? Are we as grateful as we should be?
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.
It is important to realize how much God forgives us. The point of this is not to beat ourselves up. It isn't about self-hatred or dwelling on our past faults. It is about recognizing the great love with which we are loved so that in recognizing it we can begin to reciprocate it. It builds not just an abstract love but a genuine affection for Jesus.
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
We can imagine our fellow Catholics accusing this woman of emotionalism. Yet Jesus encourages her. He wants to draw this affection from her. He praises her for it. Perhaps she won't always be able to sustain it in every moment. But when it is there it is clearly good to express.
Everything we receive is a grace given to us based on the death and resurrection of Jesus. None of us could earn such a gift. All of us stand in need of its fruit. This is why witnesses throughout the ages cannot be silent about it.
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;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
Whether we feel like one of the original witnesses or more like one who was born abnormally the grace in which we stand is the same. The mercy we received is unmeasurable. Let us proclaim that mercy to others.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
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