Defender of the prostitutes

Jesus is in Simon’s house.  He is the Pharisee who has invited him to a meal.  Unexpectedly, a woman interrupts the banquet.  The guests recognize her right away.  She is the town prostitute.  Her presence brings about uneasiness and suspense.  How will Jesus react?  Will he throw her out so that she may not contaminate the guests?  The woman says nothing.  She is used to being looked down upon, especially when the Pharisees are around.  She heads directly towards Jesus, throws herself at his feet and bursts into tears.  She does know how to thank him for welcoming her:  she does not stop kissing his feet, anoints them with the perfume she has brought along and wipes them with her hair. 

The Pharisee reacts swiftly.  He cannot hide his disdain:  “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.”  He is not as naïve as Jesus.  He knows quite well that this woman is a prostitute, not fit to touch Jesus.   She must be separated from him.

But Jesus neither expels nor rejects her.  On the contrary, he receives her with respect and tenderness.  He finds pure love and a grateful faith in her gestures.  In front of everybody, he speaks with her in order to defend her dignity and to reveal to her how much God loves her:  “Your sins are forgiven.” Then, while the guests are scandalized, he reaffirms her in her faith and wishes her new life:  “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”  God will always be with her.

Several  months ago, I was invited to take part in a very special Pastoral Encounter.  Among us was a group of prostitutes.  I was able to take my time speaking quietly with them.  I will never be able to forget them.  In the course of three days, we were able to hear of their powerlessness, their fears, their loneliness ….  I understood for the first time why Jesus loved them so much.  I understood too the words he addressed to the religious people:  “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.”

These women, deceived and enslaved, subjected to all kinds of abuses, terrorized into isolation, many of them unprotected and unsafe, are the unseen victims of a cruel and inhuman world that society has kept silent about and which the Church has practically forgotten.

We followers of Jesus cannot live with our backs turned on the suffering of these women.  Our diocesan Churches cannot abandon them to their sad fate.  We have to raise our voices to awaken the conscience of society.  We have to support much more those who fight for the rights and dignity of these women.  Jesus who loved them so much would also be the first to defend them today.

José Antonio Pagola

June 16, 2013
11 Ordinary Time (C)
Luke 7,36-8,3