"Love and Forgiveness"

Today's reading is from Luke and relates the story of a "sinful" woman anointing Jesus' feet with her tears and with oil and then drying his feet with her hair.  Merton assumes this is Mary Magdalen and i am happy to go with this!  Mary M was an apostle, a follower of Jesus, utterly devoted to him and passionate about his way of life.  Loving him as much as she did caused her great anguish as she could foresee where it would all end.

The story transports me to the side chapel of Alnmouth Friary where Brother Luke and one of the ordained friars anointed me with oil.  I had been traumatised by an experience a few years' earlier when on a Christian Union retreat.  J John, well-known evangelist, was our retreat leader.  He held a healing service during which he invited folk to pray over one another.  The noise and the conflicting energies in the room became intolerable and i left.  He pursued me, got me to write down my sins, read them back to me, prayed over me in tongues with no interpretation and then told me to tear up the list.  At the time i allowed myself to be carried along by his charisma but i felt abused, dirty, defiled.  Was this how Mary Magdalen felt before meeting Jesus?
When i finally shared this at the friary i felt listened to, respected and cared for.  The prayer and the anointing were simple, private and beautiful.  These friars offered me a ritual.  They became both the woman anointing Jesus as well as Jesus offering forgiveness.  There was no ego involved.  I did not feel i owed them anything in return.  I felt cleansed and also honoured.

The other memory that comes up for me is being at a weekend worship event in early 2008.  I found myself sobbing but knowing that the tears were not my own.  I felt led to support someone who was very troubled, hurt and grieving.  As i sat holding her while she sobbed her tears became a healing balm for me.
A beautiful healing service was going on around us and i asked her if i could anoint her.  She accepted.  A short time later someone anointed me, unobtrusively, lovingly, respectfully.

Love and forgiveness are not events but part of the process of living - as necessary as breathing.