| Thursday, September 20, 2012 Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest, Martyr, Paul Chong Hasang, Martyr and Their Companions, Martyrs (Memorial) | ||
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Luke 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."
So, are her many sins forgiven "because" she loves much, or does she love much "because" she is forgiven much? Well, I am not sure, but there are two things I can gather from this passage. First, we must have much forgiven. That means we must confess much. We have to come to the realization that we are sinners and that we sin, and sin is defined by God. There are sins today that God has clearly defined where there are many who refuse to acknowledge as sin. That means there is no room for forgiveness and hence there is little love. Ouch! Those are hard words. If we fail to acknowledge what God calls sin, we love little. Regardless of which comes first, it is what it is.
Second, it is love of Jesus that seems to be important. From this passage we have little insight as to whether or not Simon loves others. What is clear here is he has failed to show his love for Jesus. Likewise we have little insight as to whether the woman loves others. But what is clear is she has love for Jesus. So her sins are forgiven because of her love for Jesus.
In summary, we must acknowledge our sin to seek God's forgiveness, and we must Love Jesus.
Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to see clearly my sin and to seek you forgiveness through repentance and then to love Jesus with all my heart.
Amen
