There are times when, after doing something wrong, our first instinct is to hide. We feel ashamed. We think, “Maybe God is disappointed with me. Maybe I should stay away for a while.”

But today’s Gospel teaches us exactly the opposite.

A woman known in the city as a sinner enters the house where Jesus is eating. She comes with tears. She kneels at His feet. She washes His feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses them, and anoints them with perfume.

She knows her past. Everybody in the room knows her past. But she comes anyway.

And this is our first lesson: Never let your past keep you away from God.

When you fall, come to Jesus. When you sin, come to Jesus. When you are ashamed of yourself, especially then—come to Jesus.

Sometimes we think we must first become good before approaching God. No. We approach God so that, by His grace, we can become better.

The second lesson is this: Those who experience great mercy learn to love greatly.

Jesus says of the woman, “Her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love.”

Perhaps one reason we sometimes find it difficult to forgive others is that we forget how much God has forgiven us.

When you remember God’s patience with you, you become more patient with others. When you remember how many times God has given you another chance, you become more willing to give another person another chance.

Receive the mercy. Share the mercy.

And finally, be careful when judging another person.

Simon looked at the woman and saw a sinner. Jesus looked at the same woman and saw a daughter coming home. Simon saw her past. Jesus saw what grace was doing in her heart.

Brothers and sisters, we do this sometimes. We put labels on people: “That person is difficult. That one is a sinner. That one will never change.”

But be careful. The person you are judging today may already be someone God is healing.

More than the vase

I remember the story of a little boy who accidentally broke a beautiful vase belonging to his father. Frightened, he hid in his room. After some time, his father found him crying.

The boy said, “Papa, I broke your vase. I was afraid you would be angry, so I hid.”

His father sat beside him and said, “My son, I am sad about the vase. But I am more sad that you thought you had to hide from me.”

Then he embraced him.

Final Words

That is the heart of God.

God does not say that our sins do not matter. They do. But He does not want our sins to make us hide from Him.

So whatever you are carrying today—whatever your past, whatever your weakness—do not run away from God. Run toward Him.

Because the closer we come to His mercy, the less we judge, the more we forgive, and the more we love.