Sunday, June 13, 2010

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 7:36--8: 3
WHEN I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD, I WAS ENROLLED IN THE CATHOLIC GRADE SCHOOL IN HELENA, MONTANA, AND EVERYTHING STOPPED ONE DAY IN HONOR OF THE CANONIZATION OF SAINT MARIA GORETTI. SHE HAD BEEN MURDERED AT THE AGE OF TWELVE BECAUSE SHE WOULD NOT SUBMIT TO THE SEXUAL OVERTURES OF A YOUNG MAN WHO LIVED WITH HER FAMILY. HE STABBED HER SEVERAL TIMES AND LEFT HER FOR DEAD. SHE DID NOT DIE IMMEDIATELY, THOUGH, AND WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO SAVE HER. SHE RECOVERED CONSCIOUSNESS, AND FORGAVE HER MURDERER, ALESSANDRO SERENELLI, STATING THAT SHE WANTED HIM TO BE WITH HER IN HEAVEN SOMEDAY. THIS YOUNG MAN WAS NOT ACTING IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT, APPARENTLY, BECAUSE AFTER THE MURDER IT WAS FOUND THAT HE'D BEEN BOTHERING MARIA FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS, AND SHE'D BEEN AFRAID TO TELL ANYONE BECAUSE OF HIS THREAT THAT HE WOULD KILL HER LITTLE SISTER IF SHE DID.
SERENELLI WAS SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS IN PRISON, SINCE WHEN THIS HAPPENED HE WAS 20 AND THEREFORE A MINOR. THREE YEARS WENT BY IN WHICH HE SHOWED NO REMORSE. ONE DAY HE WAS VISITED BY THE LOCAL BISHOP, AND SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, REPORTED THAT HE HAD HAD A DREAM IN WHICH MARIA HAD GIVEN HIM A BOUQUET OF LILIES, WHICH BURNED UP IN HIS HANDS. HIS LIFE COMPLETELY CHANGED AND HE BEGAN A LIFE OF PRAYER AND PENANCE. WHEN HE WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON, HE VISITED MARIA'S MOTHER AND BEGGED HER FORGIVENESS. SHE FORGAVE HIM, SAYING THAT IF MARIA COULD FORGIVE HIM, SHE COULD DO NO LESS; AND THEY FORMED A FRIENDSHIP THAT LASTED THE REST OF THE MOTHER'S LIFE. ALESSANDRO JOINED MARIA'S MOTHER FOR THE CANONIZATION CEREMONY. HE JOINED THE CAPUCHIN FRANCISCANS AS A LAY BROTHER AND LIVED OUT HIS LIFE THERE, PRAYING TO MARIA FOR HER INTERCESSION EVERY DAY.
ALESSANDRO SERENELLI MAY NOT BE A CANONIZED SAINT, BUT I SUSPECT HE IS A SAINT, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE WAS A RAPIST, A PEDOPHILE, AND A MURDERER, AND FOR ONE REASON; HE WAS FORGIVEN.
TODAY JESUS MAKES A STRANGE STATEMENT; “SO I TELL YOU, HER MANY SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN BECAUSE SHE HAS SHOWN GREAT LOVE. BUT THE ONE TO WHOM LITTLE IS FORGIVEN, LOVES LITTLE”. LATER, HE REASSURES THE SINFUL WOMAN: “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN” HE TELLS HER, AND THE BYSTANDERS SAY, “WHO IS THIS WHO EVEN FORGIVES SINS?” BUT JESUS NEVER SAID “I FORGIVE YOUR SINS”. HIS STATEMENTS ARE MORE IN THE NATURE OF OBSERVATIONS. HER MANY SINS ARE FORGIVEN – YOU CAN TELL THIS – BECAUSE SHE HAS SHOWN GREAT LOVE. WHICH CAME FIRST? THE FORGIVENESS? OR THE GREAT LOVE? AND BELIEVE ME, THIS SINFUL WOMAN IS SHOWING GREAT LOVE; SHE COMES INTO A MALE-ONLY GATHERING OF FRIENDS OF A PHARISEE – THAT'S DANGEROUS; SHE COMES IN APPARENTLY WITH HER HAIR UNCOVERED – BAD. AND SHE TAKES THE BOTTLE OF EXPENSIVE PERFUME, SOMETHING SHE HAD BEEN GIVEN AS A TEENAGER BY LOVING PARENTS IN ANTICIPATION OF A WEDDING SOMEDAY – AND SHE POURS IT OVER JESUS' FEET. THIS WHOLE ACT OF LOVE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN HER STONED, BUT AT LEAST IT WOULD HAVE GOTTEN HER BEATEN, IF JESUS HAD NOT BEEN THERE. AND SHE HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING HOW IT WOULD TURN OUT; SHE JUST HAD TO SHOW JESUS THAT SHE LOVED HIM – WITH GREAT LOVE.
WAS SHE FORGIVEN IN THAT MOMENT? OR BEFORE, OR AFTER? I GUESS WE CAN'T TELL FROM THE CONTEXT. BUT WHENEVER SHE WAS FORGIVEN, SHE GAINED POWER.
WE ALL THINK THAT WHEN WE SIN, WE GO TO GOD AND BEG FORGIVENESS, AND HE FORGIVES US, REQUIRING A PENANCE, A PRAYER, AND A PROMISE NOT TO DO IT AGAIN. WE KEEP FALLING, AND HE PICKS US UP AGAIN. WE WORRY THAT MAYBE ONE OF THESE DAYS HE WILL SAY, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! NO MORE FORGIVENESS!” OR, WE LISTEN TO THE WORLD AROUND US, WHICH TELLS US THAT WE CAN DO ABOUT ANYTHING AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T OFFEND SOMEONE ELSE OR CAUSE HARM TO THE ENVIRONMENT, AND IT WILL BE ALL RIGHT. AFTER ALL WE ARE GOOD PEOPLE. WE ARE LIKE SIMON, THE PHARISEE, WHO PROBABLY DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS MUCH THAT GOD NEEDED TO FORGIVE IN HIS LIFE. SO WHY ASK FOR FORGIVENESS IF THERE ISN'T MUCH TO FORGIVE?
BUT WE HAVE THE WRONG IDEA. GOD DOESN'T GRUDGINGLY FORGIVE US, AND NONE OF US ARE GOOD ENOUGH NOT TO NEED HIS FORGIVENESS. SIN, YOUR SIN AND MY SIN, IS LIKE A HUGE MORTGAGE PAYMENT WE HAVE TO MAKE EACH MONTH, AND ONLY A LITTLE OF OUR INCOME IS LEFT FOR ANYTHING ELSE. WHEN WE ARE IN SIN, WE HAVE CHOSEN TO OFFEND GOD, AND IN DOING SO, WE ARE CUT OFF FROM HIS GRACE, COMPLETELY OR PARTIALLY. WE ARE PARALYZED; WE HAVE TO MAKE THAT MORTGAGE PAYMENT. BUT GOD HOLDS OUT HIS FORGIVENESS TO EACH OF US FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT BY ACCEPTING FORGIVENESS, WE OPEN OURSELVES TO WHAT HE REALLY WANTS TO GIVE US, WHICH IS HIS GRACE, HIS HELP, INDEED, HIS VERY SELF.
WHY DO YOU THINK GREAT SAINTS WENT TO CONFESSION SO OFTEN? POPE JOHN PAUL II WENT WEEKLY, AND ENCOURAGED OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. HE KNEW THAT FREQUENT CONFESSION, EVEN IF ALL WE HAD TO CONFESS WERE LITTLE FAULTS, HAD THESE RESULTS:
GENUINE SELF-KNOWLEDGE IS INCREASED,
CHRISTIAN HUMILITY GROWS,
BAD HABITS ARE CORRECTED,
SPIRITUAL NEGLECT AND TEPIDITY ARE RESISTED,
THE CONSCIENCE IS PURIFIED,
THE WILL STRENGTHENED,
A SALUTARY SELF-CONTROL IS ATTAINED,
GRACE IS INCREASED IN VIRTUE OF THE SACRAMENT ITSELF.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF OUR MANY SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, WE ARE MUCH MORE CAPABLE OF SHOWING GREAT LOVE; IT IS AS IF THAT MORTGAGE HAS SUDDENLY BEEN PAID IN FULL AND WE ARE FREE TO USE OUR INCOME FOR WHATEVER WE WANT.
JESUS IS TELLING US TODAY THAT RECOGNIZING THAT ALL OF US HAVE MANY SINS IS REALITY; WE MAY NOT THINK WE ARE AS SINFUL AS LOTS OF PEOPLE WE KNOW, BUT THAT ISN'T IMPORTANT; WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW SINFUL WE ARE WITH RESPECT TO OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD. AND ONCE WE RECOGNIZE HOW GREAT AND HOW MANY ARE OUR SINS, THEN WE CAN ACCEPT THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD, THE FORGIVENESS THAT GIVES US POWER TO CHANGE OUR LIVES AND BECOME SAINTS, LIKE MARIA GORETTI'S FORGIVENESS CHANGED ALESSANDRO SERENELLI, LIKE GOD'S FORGIVENESS CHANGED THE LIFE OF THE SINFUL WOMAN WHO LOVED JESUS AND HATED HER SINS SO MUCH THAT SHE POURED OUT HER TEARS ON HIS FEET, AND DRIED THEM WITH HER HAIR, AND COVERED THEM WITH KISSES, AND ANOINTED THEM WITH EXPENSIVE PERFUME.