will give you rest' (Matt. 11:28). I will go, therefore; He does not reproach me, nor does He say to me, 'Depart from me, you sinner; until now you were living in darkness, and now have you come to see Me, the Sun of righteousness?' But what shall I contemplate? I take the ointment and go to Him, and I make the Pharisee's house a place of light, and with the streams of my tears I prepare a pool for myself. With the alabaster jar of ointment I take the seal of the faithful upon my forehead, and by repentance I am cleansed of my sins, and by His healing word I escape the snares of the devil. Nothing is hopeless to me. I know in the Old Testament A Rahab the harlot having her dwelling place of sin at the gate of the city; but she, having received the spies of Israel, received life as the reward of her hospitality. For Jesus, son of Nun, who saved her, had the image of the true Jesus; the son of Nun, Jesus, bestowed good rewards upon the harlot for the sake of the spies. If, then, the name of Jesus at that time provided salvation and remission of sins, is the true Jesus now, He who is a virgin and born of a virgin, to reject a harlot who receives Him and anoints His feet with ointment, and not grant forgiveness of sins? But there Rahab released the spies, while I remain holding Him whom I longed for, not as she did—a spy of a city, but as the overseer of all human souls. Behold, as I said before, the time has arrived which I desired to see; the day has shone upon me, and the Sun of righteousness, and the acceptable year of the Lord, and a great visitation from God. For truly the Orient from on high has visited us, to appear to those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. The Master spends the night in the house of Simon; I will go to Him. And what shall I do? Shall I weep as Hannah wept for her barrenness? But Simon will consider me as one who is drunk, just as Eli the high priest once did to Hannah (1 Sam. 1). But shall I remain praying in my heart at the feet of Christ, and weeping? This I will do.
2. And the faith of the harlot cooperated with her pure intention, and she arrives at the one who sells the ointment, and begins to say to him: 'Since a great friend of mine has arrived, beyond all the sons of men, if you have ointment worthy of Him, give it to me; so that I may worthily offer it to Him who is worthily loved by me, He who has set my heart and my inward parts on fire. Let nothing matter to you regarding the price; if I have to, I am ready to sell even up to my body and bones, and give it, so that I may have even a little something to offer to Him who wills to cleanse me so greatly.' And he, seeing the warmth and the readiness of her faith, says to her: 'Tell me, who is it whom you desire, that He has so warmed your affection? What do you expect to receive from Him in return for this ointment?' And she says to him: 'What are you saying to me, O man? You are ignorant, you do not know what you are uttering. He has the power to give me in return what is worthy of the ointment, even if no one is able to give anything worthy of His dignity. Not heaven itself, nor earth, nor anyone in this world is comparable to Him who has come to me. He whom you consider common, He, out of His love for mankind, has deemed it worthy to free me from my sins. This is the Son of David according to the flesh; for this reason He is also easily seen; for concerning Him it was said: "Beautiful in form beyond the sons of men" (Ps. 44:3). This is the Son of God; and Him I have not seen, yet having heard about Him, I was wounded by love. Michal, daughter of Saul, having loved David, left the kingdom and followed him in his poverty (1 Sam. 18). But I sell my own wealth, even if I gathered it wickedly, and I buy ointment, and I run to Him who for my sake became poor from David.' And the faithful harlot, having taken the ointment, ran as if called into the house of the Pharisee. And the Pharisee, seeing the harlot holding the feet of Jesus, and anointing them, and the whole house filled with the fragrance of the ointment, reasoned within himself, and said: B 'If this man were a prophet, he would have known who the woman is who touches him, that she is a sinner' (Luc. 7:39). And he reviled the boldness of the harlot, as having approached and touched Him shamelessly; and he blamed the Master Himself, as receiving all who approached Him without consideration; and judging Him to be ignorant, he said within himself: 'What is this that has happened? I invited Him to dinner as one of the prophets; and this woman, whom all who dwell in the city know, and whom everyone understands, He did not know. If He were a prophet, He would know who the woman is.' But Christ, who tests hearts and inward parts, saw the reasonings of the Pharisee; and as his thoughts were being tossed about, there comes to him from within Christ, a calm; and He says to him: 'Simon, I have something to say to you.' And he says: 'Teacher, say it.' He says to him: 'Did I seem blameworthy to you because I did not turn away the harlot, but shielded her? Did it seem blameworthy to you that I did not turn away the sinner, but received her? Did it seem blameworthy to you that I did not pursue her, but justified her? Did it seem blameworthy that I was not angry, but was softened? Did it seem blameworthy that I recalled her, who desired to flee from her own transgressions? It was right for you to rejoice over one who had fallen and risen, but you are saddened by the good deeds. But your complaint is not reasonable. Compare this which I am about to tell you. "There were two debtors to a certain lender; one owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty" (Luc. 7:41). And as both were at a loss, the lender forgave the debts of both. "Which of them, therefore, ought to love more?" He says: "I suppose that it is he to whom he forgave the more." And He says to him, "You have judged correctly." Then, turning to the woman, He said to Simon: "Do you see this woman, whom you have forbidden? You did not deign to wash my feet; but she has wetted my feet with tears. You did not offer me a kiss of love, but she has not ceased kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment" (Luc. 7:44 sqq.). But learn, Pharisee, who is the lender, and who are the debtors. I am the lender of the two, of you and of her; and not only of you, but of all men. I gave to all, all that I received, from Me: soul, breath, body, sense, knowledge, motion. The lender, therefore, who does not demand of you to provide what you have received in full, if you do not have it to pay back, implore Him to forgive you the debt. If you are neither able to pay back nor deign to implore to be forgiven, at least do not be shameless by speaking much and resisting; be silent as this harlot, who, having seen her own many debts, said within herself: "What shall I speak, or what shall I reply? If I wish to say, 'I do not owe the debt,' He knows everything, and He understands how much I owe, and from what times I have been liable." For this reason, as one who saw that He knows everything, and that there is none of the evils committed by her which escapes Him, she approached in silence, weeping, and in her heart confessing all her debts, she appeased God. Be silent, therefore, you also, Pharisee, so that the Lord may forgive you the debt. Do not you, being under judgment, judge the one who has been judged; do not you, being debased, debase the one who has been debased. Be quiet; for I have no need of your things, nor of hers; but I came to forgive the debt to both. For I am the philanthropic lender of the two, and not only of you, but to all who do not have to pay; if only they confess the debt, and ask Me to forgive them the debt through repentance. If anyone, therefore, is a debtor, and approaches the grace of baptism, through it he is freed from the debt. Depart, then, behold you have been released from your debts, you have been freed from all liability by grace; do not again become liable for another written bond.