La Salette reflection on Sunday readings June 16: Weeping over Sins (2 Samuel 12:7-13; Galatians 2:16-21; Luke 7:36—8:3) More than one child, on seeing the statue of the “first phase” of the Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette, has asked, “Why is she crying?” The answer is obvious: “Because her children have sinned against God.” Two repentant sinners are mentioned in today’s readings: King David in 2 Samuel, and the unnamed woman in Luke. David’s weeping is not mentioned here, but is recorded a little later in the same chapter. The woman’s tears, however, are essential to her story. They express not only her sorrow for sin, but also the hope that moved her to seek Jesus out in a home where she certainly was not welcome. Mary’s tears are essential to the story of La Salette. Speaking for myself (“word person” that I am), it is easy sometimes to focus on her words and forget the impact of other, more immediate elements. And yet, to understand her words, we must hear them, as it were, through her tears. To use a technological image, it’s like the difference between e-mail, a phone call, and Skype. What we hear in a person’s voice communicates so much more than a typed message, and if we can see the person at the same time, the meaning comes across more clearly still. The woman in the Gospel, and King David, wept over their own sins. Mary wept over those of her people, for two reasons. First, sin offends her Son. Second, sin has consequences for the sinner. The woman was a social outcast, and David, while being spared in his own person, had to bear the death of his child. Many parents have wept at seeing a child go astray, not only because of the wrong done or the crime committed, but also because of the inevitable harm to the child—injury, illness, prison, even death. Mary saw the prospect of famine, the death of children, etc. She addressed this in her words, and visibly demonstrated the grief that it inspired in her maternal heart. Weeping over our sins does not require us to wallow in guilt. On the contrary, it leads to hope for forgiveness. If Mary could weep over our sins, surely we can do the same.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:23:25 +0000
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