This weekend we hear the story of Jesus going to dine at the home of a Pharisee. The Pharisee immediately stoops to big time judgment of a woman who comes in and bathes the feet of Jesus and wipes them dry with her hair. The Pharisee is quick to point out that this woman is a known sinner (as if he wasn’t!!!). Jesus, then, is quick to give this Pharisee a lesson on forgiveness…and this is a lesson that we all need to take to heart! In essence, the central theme of all of this weekend’s readings is an invitation to all of us to take care of our own lives and not worry about the sins of others! Only with this focus can we be made whole and experience inner peace and harmony. However…in addition Jesus challenges US in this Gospel episode to have a forgiving attitude to our neighbor and a deep awareness of our own personal need for God’s forgiveness. As we pray in the Our Father, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” Whoa! Do we mean that when we pray it? Think about this. Although it is not easy, we must learn to forgive those who hurt us if we want to be able to receive the daily forgiveness we need from our merciful God. We start forgiving when we try our best to patch up quarrels, misunderstandings and disagreements and pray sincerely for the well-being of our offenders. This is not an easy task. It requires true fortitude and compassion on our part. If we are honest, we should admit that we often share this Pharisee’s mentality, displaying an attitude of harshness. We would do well to remember that this Pharisee’s righteousness prevented him from acknowledging his need for the grace of God. Do we invite Jesus into our lives/homes in the hope of gaining some kind of prestige… or do we claim we love him because he is our Savior who has died for our sins and continues to offer us forgiveness and healing? The bottom line here is this…we need to cultivate a forgiving posture toward our neighbor: Although it is not easy, we must learn to forgive those who hurt us if we want to be able to receive the daily forgiveness we need from our merciful God. Easy? No way! Doable? Absolutely…with the grace of our compassionate God! In his book, Healing for Damaged Emotions, David Seamonds deals with people who have scars that nobody else can see. He uses the analogy of those beautiful giant sequoia and redwood trees in the far western part of our country: "In most of the parks," says Seamonds, "the naturalists can show you a cross section of a great tree they have cut, and point out that the rings of the tree reveal the developmental history, year by year. Here's a ring that represents a year when there was a terrible drought. Here are a couple of rings from years when there was too much rain. Here's where the tree was struck by lightning. Here are some normal years of growth. This ring shows a forest fire that almost destroyed the tree. Here's another of savage blight and disease. All of this lies embedded in the heart of the tree, representing the autobiography of its growth. "And that's the way it is with us," Seamonds continues. "Just a few minutes beneath the protective bark, the concealing, protective mask, are the recorded rings of our lives.”In the rings of our thoughts and emotions, the record is there; the memories are recorded, and all are alive. And they directly and deeply affect our concepts, our feelings, and our relationships. They affect the way we look at life and God, at others and ourselves." If we could look into the heart of the woman described in today’s Gospel, we might not be so harsh in our judgment of her. What brought her to such a wretched position in life? Every person has an entire story behind them that greatly influences their present life. GOSPEL HOMEWORK OF THE WEEK: Are you quick to judge the actions of others, but not so quick to see your own failures?