Pope: distinguish between sin, to be rejected, and the sinner, to be welcomed
During the general audience Francis expresses solidarity and prayer for "our brothers and sisters in Ecuador" struck by the earthquake and recalls the people of Ukraine who "have been suffering for a long time the consequences of an armed conflict, forgotten by many".
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "to distinguish between sin and the sinner: one must not descend to compromises with sin, while sinners – that is, all of us! – are like the sick that are cured, and to cure them the doctor must come close to them, visit and touch them”, this is the lesson proposed by Pope Francis today, commenting on the Gospel episode of the sinful woman who with her tears wet Jesus' feet and dried them with her hair.
The Pope told the 40 thousand people in St. Peter's Square for the general audience, that the episode highlights how Divine Mercy is able to able to transform hearts, while the sinner, "teaches us the link between faith, love and gratitude. She was forgiven "many sins" and therefore loves; "Instead he to whom little is forgiven, loves little'".
During the audience, Francis expressed closeness and prayer for "our brothers and sisters in Ecuador" struck by the earthquake and recalled kraine’s population has been suffering for some time the consequences of an armed conflict, forgotten by many. As you know, I have invited the Church in Europe to support the initiative announced by me to support this humanitarian emergency. I thank ahead of time all those that will contribute generously to the initiative, which will take place next Sunday, April 24". And greeting the pilgrims who have come from Ukraine and Belarus, on the occasion of the international conference on the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy, he said: "While we renew our prayer for the victims of this disaster, we express our gratitude to the rescuers and for all initiatives with which they have tried to alleviate suffering and damage".
In his catechesis, the Pope emphasized "the contrast between the two figures: that of Simon, the zealous servant of the Law, and that of the anonymous sinful woman. While the former judged others on the basis of their appearance, with her gestures the latter expressed her heart sincerely. Although having invited Jesus, Simon does not want to commit himself or involve his life with the Master. The woman, on the contrary, entrusts herself fully to Him with love and veneration. The Pharisee cannot conceive that Jesus lets Himself to be “contaminated” by sinners, that is how they thought. He thought that if <Jesus> was really a prophet, He should recognize them and keep them at a distance, so as not to be stained, as if they were lepers. This attitude is typical of a certain way of understanding religion, and it is motivated by the fact that God and sin are radically opposed. However, the Word of God teaches how to distinguish between sin and the sinner: one must not descend to compromises with sin, while sinners – that is, all of us! – are like the sick that are cured, and to cure them the doctor must come close to them, visit and touch them. And, of course, to be cured, the sick person must admit that he is in need of a doctor!”
“Between the Pharisee and the sinful woman, Jesus aligns Himself with the latter. Free of prejudices that impede mercy from being expressed, the Master lets her be. He, the Holy One of God, lets Himself be touched by her without fear of being contaminated. Jesus is free because He is close to God who is a Merciful Father. Therefore, by entering in relation with the sinful woman, Jesus puts an end to that condition of isolation to which the merciless judgment of the Pharisee and of his fellow citizens, who insulted her, condemned her: “Your sins are forgiven” (v. 48). So the woman can now go “in peace.” The Lord saw the sincerity of her faith and of her conversion, therefore, He proclaimed before everyone: “Your faith has saved you” (v. 50). On one hand, the hypocrisy of the Doctors of the Law, on the other, the humility and sincerity of the woman. All of us are sinners, but we often fall into the temptation of hypocrisy, of believing ourselves better than others and we say: “Look at your sin …” Instead, we should all look at our sin, our falls, our mistakes and look at the Lord. This is the line of salvation: the relationship between “I” a sinner and the Lord. If I consider myself just, this relationship of salvation does not happen. At this point, even greater astonishment assails all the table companions: “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” (v. 49). Jesus does not give an explicit answer, but the sinful woman’s conversion is before the eyes of all and demonstrates that in Him shines the power of God’s mercy, capable of transforming hearts”.
“The sinful woman shows us the bond between faith, love and gratitude. “Many sins” were forgive her, therefore, she loves much; “instead, he who is forgiven little, loves little” (v. 47). Simon himself must admit that he loves more to whom more has been condoned. God has enclosed all in the same mystery of mercy and, from this love, which always precedes us, we all learn to love. As Saint Paul recalls: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us” (Ephesians 1:7-8). In this text, the term “grace” is practically a synonym of mercy, and is said to be “lavish,” that is, beyond our expectation, because God’s salvific plan acts for each one of us. Dear brothers, let us be grateful for the gift of faith; we thank the Lord for His very great and unmerited love! Let us allow the love of Christ to be poured into us: the disciple draws from this love and is founded on it; everyone can be nourished and fed by this love. Thus, in the grateful love that we in turn pour on our brothers, in our homes, in the family, in the society, the Lord’s mercy is communicated to all”.
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13/10/2019 12:45
