The Young And The Restless | September 17, 2015

 September 17, 2015

Today’s readings are a couple of my favorites because they speak on behalf of those that society tends to pick on: the youth and those with a bad reputation (the young and the restless). I have a personal affection for both and so do my boyfriends Paul and Jesus. Timothy was probably 13 or 14 years old when he first met Paul. Imagine having St. Paul as your youth minister! I wonder if Paul was sick of pizza too? What opening icebreakers did he use: Steal The Bacon (oh wait, no bacon for the Jews), “I love you, baby, but I just can’t smile”, 3 Truths And A Lie, Chubby Bunny, Would You Rather? Was Paul one of those guitar playing youth ministers (you know the kind…wink wink)? Was his favorite praise and worship song Oceans? Did he wear flip-flops to church? Did the church elders get on him about the behavior of the teenagers in mass? Did he spend his nights worrying about his kids? Did he go to their soccer games and band concerts? I don’t know, but it is fun for me to think about. What we do know is that he wrote them letters! Raise your hand if you love getting a real letter in the real mail from someone that you love and respect! I do I do!!!!!!!!

Timothy was special to Paul. Don’t you just love being special to someone? It makes you want them to be proud of you. It makes you a better person. Today’s first reading is iconic to youth ministers and most of us have used it as a theme for the year or a retreat or our entire program. Take a look:

“Beloved:

Let no one have contempt for your youth,

but set an example for those who believe,

in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching.

Do not neglect the gift you have,

which was conferred on you through the prophetic word

with the imposition of hands by the presbyterate.

Be diligent in these matters, be absorbed in them,

so that your progress may be evident to everyone.

Attend to yourself and to your teaching;

persevere in both tasks,

for by doing so you will save

both yourself and those who listen to you.”

There is so much in this letter that I LOVE! First of all Paul affirms and validates Timothy as someone that has been already acting as a leader in the community of believers and obviously people were picking on him because of his age. Huh, I wonder if this kind of thing still happens in the church today (sarcasm intended)? He advises Timothy to focus his speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Huh, I wonder if teens today should focus on these things? He reminds Timothy to keep on growing in the practices of faith which included teaching it. Huh, I wonder if we should be encouraging our teens to participate in sacraments, read the Bible, and share their faith with others? He reminds Timothy of the gifts he received at his Confirmation when the presbyterate laid hands on him. Huh, I wonder if we should be teaching teens about the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to them at Confirmation? Paul tells Timothy to be diligent and absorbed in these matters so that the community will see his growth as a leader. Huh, I wonder empowering youth as leaders is still a thing? If you attend to yourself and your teaching, Paul says that Timothy will save both himself and those that listen to him. Huh, I wonder if telling the youth to tend to their souls and follow Christ might be a way to save them from the snares of the devil? Do you get why I LOVE this passage so much? Even though I like to imagine Paul as a guru youth minister he wasn’t. He was a respected member of the community and he took the time and effort to reach out to the youth. Tending to our youth is not just the responsibility of those of us crazy enough to sign up for youth ministry; it is the responsibility of the entire community to teach and to love them well. 

Today’s gospel is a classic. Although many people think that the sinful woman in the story is Mary Magdalene, let me tell you she is not. In fact, we never learn her name, but she remains one of the most timeless characters in the Bible: the woman with the alabaster jar. Songs and poems have been written about her, paintings and sculptures too. Sometimes things get lost in translation, for example my Bible says, “When a woman who had lived a sinful life…” implying past tense. It reminds me of that quote, “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” I find that those with a terrible past, who have found the mercy and forgiveness of Christ, come at life with a strong sense of gratefulness. I think that sets the scene for today’s gospel.

This woman for whatever reason felt so strongly compelled to show Jesus her gratitude by bowing before him in humble adoration and giving him a gift. Raise your hand if you have ever re-gifted something that you just didn’t love that much? Well, that is not what this woman did with Jesus. An alabaster jar of perfume is as quality as it gets. She did not skimp with this gift. Do we bring our best gifts to Christ every Sunday at mass or do we search for something to re-gift? One of the scandalous parts about this story was that people knew about her past sins (I’m guessing sexual sin) and obviously they still identified her by those sins. One of my favorite lines in the mass is, “Look NOT on our sins, but on the faith of your Church.” You see Jesus knew her past sin, after all she was a woman with a bad reputation in a small town, and he still looked on her faithfulness. He sees our goodness always and yes he knows about our sin, but what defines us in his eyes is our beauty.

The other scandalous part about this story is the letting down of her hair and the kissing of his feet. Obviously there are sexual undertones made by the witnesses of this scene, but for Jesus and the woman, there was only an encounter of love, humility, honor, and tenderness. Sometimes deep love goes beyond what this world deems proper and intimate exchanges like this one can purely be about the kind of love that Jesus offers us: AGAPE. Agape is love at its highest form and it is the way God loves us, which means intimately, deeply, tenderly, and purely (Insert Elvis Presley singing Love Me Tender). This kind of love is absolutely attainable in this world when we draw close enough to Christ, which is exactly what the woman with the alabaster jar did even at the risk of her life. I love that at the first sign of crap talking, Jesus comes to her defense (Insert Bruno Mars singing, “I'd catch a grenade for ya”). Have you ever had someone actively defend you? It feels amazing and I can just picture this woman as she is pulling her hair back up smiling to herself because she knows that someone loves her deeply.

Jesus gives another smack down to people that are quick to judge. Did you even offer to wash my feet? Did you break open your best jar for me? Did you risk your life to let me know that you are thankful for my presence? While he is smacking down those that need it, he is building up the woman who also needs it. He closes the scene with, “Your sins ARE forgiven.” Even after the major shaming that Jesus gave them, they still spout off with, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus must have just shook his head in disappointment or pure disgust at their willful foolishness, and turned to the woman with a love me tender kind of voice, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Today’s readings have soooooooo much (sorry this reflection is lengthy) for us to ponder. Let’s bring our best to the Lord, let’s agape each other deeply, let’s teach our youth by example and empower them to be an example, let’s not willfully ignore Jesus’ message to us, let’s give thanks on our knees, let’s look at one another according to our faith and not our sin, and let’s look to the young and the restless for inspiration in our spiritual lives. Now Paul is going to meet us at the campfire for a rousing rendition of Kumbaya!!!!!

Gospel LK 7:36-50

A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
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.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
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.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”