A Homily on Luke 7:36-50 : Tears that Speak ( 18-9-25)

A heartfelt homily on Luke 7:36-50 reflecting on hidden love, forgiveness, and the silent power of tears in our families and daily life. ( 18-9-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

 There is a beautiful incident said about a little girl who broke a precious pot in her home. Afraid of punishment, the child ran to the mother, hiding the pieces under the cloth. But when the cloth slipped and the broken pieces fell to the floor, the child stood trembling. The mother did not scold. She bent down, picked up the child, and said, “I love you more than all the pots in the house.” The child began to cry, not out of fear, but out of love that could not be explained.

In today’s Gospel from Luke 7:36-50, we also see a person who comes with brokenness. She comes to Jesus with her tears and with an alabaster jar of ointment. She does not speak a single word. Yet her tears speak louder than words, washing the feet of Jesus.

The Bible often shows us the hidden meaning of tears. In the book of Psalms, for example,  it is written, “You have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle” (Psalm 56:8). God values every tear. In the Old Testament, Hannah cried in the temple because she had no child.  Her words of prayer were not clear, but God saw her tears and sensed her prayer request and answered her prayer with the birth of Samuel.  It is evident that tears, when joined with faith, can open heaven.

The woman’s tears in Luke’s Gospel were not only tears of sadness. They were tears of gratitude, of release, of deep love. She knew she was forgiven much, and so she loved much. Forgiveness and love cannot be separated. Where there is true forgiveness, love springs up like fresh water.

St Augustine once said that tears are the blood of the heart. St Teresa of Avila too experienced the grace of holy tears during her deep prayer. They are not weakness. They are strength. They come from a heart that knows its poverty and yet feels God’s mercy.

In our families today, we also see tears. Sometimes tears of misunderstanding, of arguments, of loneliness. But can we allow our tears to become like the tears of this woman, turning into prayer and love? When we forgive one another in the family, when we let go of past hurts, when we embrace instead of accuse, our tears also become holy and healing.

 It is a fact that many  a times in religious life too, we face moments of dryness, failure, or hidden struggles. We may not have the courage to speak them aloud. But when we kneel in front of Jesus and allow tears to fall, we are like the woman at His feet; silent but eloquent, broken but beloved.

Simon the Pharisee could not understand this language of tears. He judged. He saw the woman’s past. But Jesus saw her heart. In the same way, the world may look at us with judgment, counting our sins, measuring our failures. But God sees beyond. He sees the inner movement of our soul. He sees every drop of love hidden in tears.

The woman’s act is also a prophecy. Just as her tears and perfume prepared the feet of Jesus, later another woman, Mary of Bethany, would anoint Him before His passion. Love always prepares the way of the Lord. Tears water the soil where forgiveness grows.

Let us not be afraid of our tears. Let them flow before God. They can cleanse our eyes to see His mercy more clearly. They can soften our hearts to forgive those who hurt us. And they can bring healing in our homes, our religious communities, and in the Church. Let us ask the grace today to turn every tear into prayer and every forgiveness into love.

Lord Jesus, make my tears a prayer of love at Your feet. Amen.

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God Bless…