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.
— Luke 7:44-50
The peace of the Lord be with you. Today our Gospel demonstrates how powerful an encounter is with our Lord. It further demonstrates the great power of forgiveness as well.
The text does not identify this woman by name but it’s pretty evident that she has a bit of a reputation — she seems to be well known by those present. It also does not really give the backstory about how she might have first met Jesus or heard his words. What it does stress is that she began to see her self in a different light, either from this exact moment or from something that had happened before. At that moment she is transformed; she is changed and she is very grateful. From her gratitude she expresses great love for Jesus and I suspect that love will be carried into other areas of her life as well.
What is demonstrated here is metanoia, the transformation that occurs from an encounter with the living Christ. May we all be deeply touched, changed, and transformed — and may we then carry that message of hope out in our daily lives. In the name of the Father, the Son on and the Holy Spirit. Amen.