A Pharisee invited [Jesus] to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Jesus said to him in reply ... “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.” 

"To be young and in love in New York City. To not know who I am but still know that I’m good long as you’re here with me. I like me better when I’m with you. I knew from the first time, I’d stay for a long time. I don’t know what it is but I got that feeling waking up in this bed next to you, swear the room it got no ceiling. If we lay, let the day just pass us by. I like me better when I’m with you. Stay here with me."   

What do you do when you realize that there have been mistakes in the past, and now you want to make up for them? The lady that Luke the evangelist describes as a "sinful woman" in his Gospel probably did not know where to start. But she made a decision to spend some time with a person that she recognized to be holy, allowing her action to be the beginning of her conversion. After that, one would guess that she understood that she had to spend more time and effort at working with what she had done, doing her best to change some things with regard to her behavior. She became a different person after she spent time with Jesus.

It is a very important concept. If we truly love someone, that someone will have an effect on us. Such is the thought behind Lauv's song "I Like Me Better."  The man in the relationship is making a commitment to the person he loves, and as he does it, he says, "I like me better when I'm with you." The other person in the relationship has influenced him the correct way. He is better because he is spending time around the other person.

In order to learn about love, there are some important elements that must happen in our lives. We first of all must recognize that we need help to learn about love. The sinful woman of the Gospel did it by physically anointing Jesus and spending time with him; the person in Lauv's song realized that he had to be better than he was. Once we make the recognition, then we must do the work to bring about the necessary love. It will mean honest effort, and honest effort will mean significant time spent in making the effort.

The couple in Lauv's song want to be committed to one another in love. Both of them must understand that their love of the other will change each other. When we are near the person we love, as the sinful woman in the Gospel, we will change for the better simply because we become better when around the love of our lives.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, the closer we get to You, the better we will be. Help us turn to You and your teaching more in our lives, so that we will become better and holier people. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America