9781644135945

The Light of the World
Ember Friday in September
At the church of the Twelve Apostles we were absolved of our sins on Holy Thursday and received
again into the community of the Church and reconciled with God. Today we assemble again at
this stational church to do penance for the sins and infidelities of the last three months and to
obtain pardon. We come with Magdalen, the sinner and penitent, to hear from Christ Himself
the words: “Thy faith hath made thee safe; go in peace” (Gospel). “Let the heart of them rejoice
that seek the Lord; seek ye the Lord and be strengthened” (Introit).
“Return, O Israel, to the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen down by thy iniquity. Take with
you words and return to the Lord and say to Him: Take away all iniquity and receive the
good, and we will render the calves of our lips. . . . Neither will we say anymore: The works
of our hands are our gods” (Epistle). Thus we are called to do penance with a contrite and
humble heart and to confess to the Lord. Magdalen is an example for us. She comes to
the Lord and throws herself at His feet. She washes His feet with tears, kisses them, and
anoints them with the ointment she has brought with her. She comes with a heart full of
shame, full of contrition, full of courage, in self-accusation and humility. She is determined
to amend her life. The Lord responds to this contrition and love which He Himself through
His mercy planted in the heart of the sinful woman. “Many sins are forgiven her, because
she hath loved much; but to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And He said to her: Thy
sins are forgiven thee” (Gospel). We, too, are sinners. We, too, are penitent. We come to
Him in the Holy Sacrifice, when He appears in our midst. We confess to Him that we have
sinned and have offended God. We accuse ourselves in the presence of His representative.
We hear the consoling words: “I absolve thee of thy sins. Go in peace.” We obtain pardon
in proportion to our contrition and love. “To whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.” But on
the other hand, less is forgiven to Him who loves less.
“I will heal their breaches, I will love them freely; for My wrath is turned away from
them. I will be as the dew; Israel shall spring as the lily, and his root shall shoot forth as that of
Libanus. His branches shall spread, and his glory shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as that
of Libanus. . . . They shall live upon wheat [the Eucharist], and they shall blossom as a vine”
(Epistle). With great tenderness and charity the Lord accepts the contrite, penitent soul, as is
clear from His reception of the sinner Magdalen. Simon the Pharisee is a witness against the
sinner who entered and threw herself at the feet of Jesus. He says to himself, “This man, if He
were a prophet, would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him,
that she is a sinner” (Gospel). But the Lord has come in search of sinners that He may save
them. He has no word of blame for Magdalen. He does not wait until He is begged before she
is allowed to appear before Him. He draws her with the power of His love and grace, and He
forgives her entire debt. She renounces the false gods she has served till now, and follows the
Lord. She is the first of the holy women to see the risen Savior. She receives special graces and
becomes a great saint, whom we may all admire and imitate.
The self-righteous Pharisee who has invited the Lord for dinner and the sinful, penitent, contrite
Magdalen present a striking contrast. The Pharisee is a type of the Jewish people, while
Magdalen represents those converted from the Gentiles. In the mind of the liturgy, we are the
contrite Magdalen, for the first step to grace and holiness is penitence.
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