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Jesus reminded his apostles
that he did not come into the world to be served, but to serve, and that
they should do the same. In today’s passage from Luke we hear of a woman
who performed simple acts of service for the Lord. She washed his
feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, kissed them and anointed
them with costly perfume.
This woman was known to be a
sinner. The host wondered why Jesus would accept the ministrations
of a woman like that. Just because he came to serve did not mean Jesus
would not accept the loving service of others. Jesus used the occasion
to teach a lesson about genuine contrition and forgiveness. Though she
was a sinner the woman loved Jesus very much. She manifested her love in
gestures of humble service, weeping, washing, wiping and anointing.
Jesus forgave her much because she loved much.
One might wonder, did she love so much because she was forgiven much or
was it the other way around? It doesn’t really matter. Forgiveness and
love are intimately bound together.
In John’s Last Supper narrative Jesus washed the feet of the apostles as
an example of the loving service he expected from them. Do we realize
that we are called to do the same? As we wash another’s feet we are
reminded that we have been forgiven much and that is why we love so
much.
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