GOSPEL THOUGHTS
*Ordinary Season : Twenty Fourth Week: Thursday*
*Gospel : Luke 7:36-50*
*First Reading : 1 Cor 15:1-11*
*Responsorial Psalm : 118: 1-2, 15, 17, 28*
*The Value of Tears and The alabaster ointment*
*1) The Cost of Alabaster Ointment vs. the Cost of Tears*
In Luke 7:36–50, the woman brings alabaster ointment, but Jesus notices something even more precious: her tears.
The ointment could be purchased with money. Her tears could not be purchased anywhere.
Ointment came from her possession; tears came from her heart.
The ointment filled the house with fragrance, but her tears revealed the fragrance of her repentance.
*2) he Ointment Had a Price; Tears Had a Sacrifice*
We can calculate the cost of perfume. We cannot calculate the cost of genuine repentance.
A person can give ₹1,000, ₹10,000, or even ₹1 lakh as an offering. But sometimes the most costly offering is:
saying “I am sorry” to someone we hurt;
forgiving someone who wounded us;
admitting “I was wrong”;
giving up our pride;
changing a sinful habit;
returning to God after going far away.
Money can buy ointment; only a surrendered heart can produce tears.
*3) Her Tears Were More Valuable Than Her Perfume*
The woman does not simply bring perfume to Jesus. She brings herself.
Her tears say: “Lord, I have nothing to hide from You.”
Simon sees a sinful woman. Jesus sees a repentant woman.
Simon sees her past. Jesus sees her faith.
Simon calculates her worth. Jesus recognizes her love.
That is a powerful lesson: God does not look only at what we bring in our hands; He looks at what we bring in our hearts.
*4) Tears Became Her Prayer*
She apparently says very little, but her tears speak loudly.
Sometimes we do not know what to say to God. We cannot find the right words. Tears themselves can become a prayer.
There are tears of: repentance, gratitude, pain, forgiveness, love, longing for God.
Her tears became a language between her heart and Jesus.
*5) The Fragrance of Ointment vs. the Fragrance of Repentance*
The ointment created a physical fragrance that disappeared after some time.
Her love created a spiritual fragrance that has remained in the Gospel for centuries.
This gives us a memorable thought: The perfume filled the room for a moment; her repentance filled the Gospel for generations.
What we possess may be forgotten. What we offer from the heart can become a lasting witness.
*6) What Is the “Alabaster Ointment” in Our Life?*
Our alabaster ointment can be anything valuable that we offer God: money, time, talent, service, prayer, possessions, achievements.
All these are good. But Jesus asks for something deeper: “Give Me your heart.”
A person may put a large offering into the collection box but refuse to forgive a small debt. Another may have very little money but offer God a heart full of love.
The Gospel challenges us: What is the value of my gift if my heart is not given with it?
*7) The Costliest Tears Are the Tears That Change Us*
It is easy to cry for a moment and return to the same life.
The woman's tears were not merely emotional tears. They became the beginning of a changed life.
Therefore, genuine repentance has a cost: Tears → Forgiveness → Conversion → New Life.
The tears are meaningful when they lead us to change.
*8) The “Cost of Tears” in Family Life*
This can be applied very powerfully to families.
Sometimes the most expensive words in a family are: “I am sorry.”
A husband may spend money buying a beautiful gift for his wife, but the greater gift may be humble repentance.
A wife may prepare an expensive celebration, but the greater offering may be forgiveness.
A parent may provide everything materially for a child, but sometimes the child needs the tears, time, attention and love of the parent.
The greatest gifts in a family are not always bought; they are given from the heart.
*9) Tears Can Wash What Money Cannot*
Money can wash a car.
Money can clean a house.
Money can purchase perfume.
But money cannot wash away: guilt, hatred, resentment, pride, broken relationships.
Only repentance, forgiveness and God's mercy can wash these things away.
The woman washed Jesus' feet with her tears. In a spiritual sense, her tears revealed that her own heart was being washed by God's mercy.
“The ointment was expensive, but her tears were priceless.”
“She broke the alabaster jar, but God was breaking the hardness of her heart.”
“God is not asking us only to bring our alabaster jar to the altar. He is asking us to bring the tears, wounds, failures and repentance of our heart.”
The alabaster ointment had a price, but the tears had no price. The ointment cost money; the tears cost her heart.
*Think about it*
*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*
*Fr Maxim DSouza*
*Jeppu Seminary*
*Mangalore*
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