{"id":6894,"date":"2020-11-22T20:58:47","date_gmt":"2020-11-22T10:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/?p=6894"},"modified":"2020-11-23T11:37:29","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T01:37:29","slug":"a-model-of-repentance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/a-model-of-repentance\/","title":{"rendered":"A Model of Repentance"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

A Model of Repentance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By BFA Team<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally seen on Becoming Fully Alive blog site, 12th<\/sup> October 2016<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This post is a\nhomily by St Ephraim the Syrian on the sinful woman. May her story encourage us\nin our repentance!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hear and be comforted, beloved, how merciful\nis God. To the sinful woman He forgave her offenses; yea, He upheld her when\nshe was afflicted. With clay He opened the eyes of the blind, so that the\neyeballs beheld the light. To the palsied He granted healing, who arose and\nwalked and carried his bed. And to us He has given the pearls; His holy Body\nand Blood. He brought His medicines secretly; and with them He heals openly.\nAnd He wandered round in the land of Judea, like a physician, bearing his\nmedicines. Simon invited Him to the feast, to eat bread in his house. The\nsinful woman rejoiced when she heard that He sat and was feasting in Simon\u2019s\nhouse; her thoughts gathered together like the sea, and like the billows her\nlove surged. She beheld the Sea of Grace, how it had forced itself into one\nplace; and she resolved to go and drown all her wickedness in its billows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She bound her heart, because it had\noffended, with chains and tears of suffering; and she began weeping (with\nherself): What avails me this fornication? What avails this lewdness? I have\ndefiled the innocent ones without shame; I have corrupted the orphan; and\nwithout fear I have robbed the merchants of merchandise, and my rapacity was\nnot satisfied. I have been as a bow in war, and have slain the good and the\nbad. I have been as a storm on the sea, and have sunk the ships of many. Why\ndid I not win me one man, who might have corrected my lewdness? For one man is\nof God, but many are of Satan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These things she inwardly said; then began\nshe to do outwardly. She washed and put away from her eyes the dye that blinded\nthem that saw it. And tears gushed forth from her eyes over that deadly\neyepaint. She drew off and cast from her hands the enticing bracelets of her\nyouth. She put off and cast away from her body the tunic of fine linen of\nwhoredom, and resolved to go and attire herself in the tunic the garment of\nreconciliation. She drew off and cast from her feet the adorned sandals of\nlewdness; and directed the steps of her going in the path of the heavenly\nEagle. She took up her gold in her palm and held it up to the face of heaven,\nand began to cry secretly, to Him who hears openly: This, O Lord, that I have\ngained from iniquity, with it will I purchase to myself redemption. This which\nwas gathered from orphans, with it will I win the Lord of orphans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These things she said secretly; then began\nto do openly. She took up the gold in her palm, and carried the alabaster box\nin her hands. Then hastily went she forth in sadness to the perfumer. The\nperfumer saw her and wondered, and fell into questioning with her; and thus he\nbegan to say to the harlot in the first words he spoke: Was it not enough for\nyou, harlot, that you have corrupted all our town? What means this fashion that\nyou show today to your lovers\u2014 that you have put off your wantonness and hast\nclothed yourself in modesty? Heretofore, when you came to me, your aspect was\ndifferent from today\u2019s. You were clothed in goodly raiment, and brought little\ngold; and asked for precious ointment, to make your lewdness pleasant. But lo!\nToday your vesture is mean, and you have brought much gold. Your change I\nunderstand not; wherefore is this fashion of yours? Either clothe you in\nraiment according to your ability, or buy ointment according to your clothing.\nFor this ointment becomes not or is suited to this attire. Can it be that a\nmerchant has met you, and brings great wealth; and you have seen that he loves\nit not, the fashion of your lewdness? So you have put off your lewdness and\nhast clothed yourself in meekness, that by various fashions you may capture\nmuch wealth. But if he loves this fashion because he is a chaste man in truth,\nthen woe to him! Into what has he fallen? Into a gulf that has swallowed up his\nmerchandise. But I give you advice, as a man that desires your welfare, that\nyou send away your many lovers who have helped you nought from your youth, and\nhenceforth seek out one husband who may correct your lewdness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These things spoke the perfumer, in wisdom,\nto the harlot. The sinful woman answered and said to him, to the perfumer after\nhis discourse, Hinder me not, O man, and stop me not by your questioning. I\nhave asked of you ointment, not freely, but I will pay you its value not\ngrudgingly. Take you the gold, as much as you demand, and give me the precious\nointment; take you that which endures not and give me that which endures; and I\nwill go to Him who endures, and will buy that which endures. And as to that you\nsaid, about a merchant; a Man has met me today Who bears riches in abundance.\nHe has robbed me and I have robbed Him; He has robbed me of my transgressions\nand sins, and I have robbed Him of His wealth. And as to that you said of a\nhusband; I have won me a Husband in heaven, Whose dominion stands for ever, and\nHis kingdom shall not be dissolved. She took up the ointment and went forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In haste went she forth; as Satan saw her\nand was enraged; and was greatly grieved in his mind. At one time he rejoiced,\nand again at another he was grieved. That she carried the perfumed oil, he\nrejoiced in his inward mind; but that she was clad in mean raiment\u2014 at this\ndoing of hers he was afraid. He clave then to her and followed her, as a robber\nfollows a merchant. He listened to the murmurs of her lips, to hear the voice\nof her words. He closely watched her eyeballs (to mark) whither the glance of\nher eyes was directed; and as he went he moved by her feet (to mark) whither\nher goings were directed. Very full of craft is Satan, from our words to learn\nour aim. Therefore, our Lord has taught us not to raise our voice when we pray,\nthat the Devil may not hear our words and draw near and become our adversary.\nSo then, when Satan saw that he could not change her mind, he clothed himself\nin the fashion of a man, and drew to himself a crowd of youths, like her lovers\nof former times; and then began he thus to address her: By your life, O woman,\ntell me whither are your footsteps directed? What means this haste? For you\nhastes more than other days. What means this your meekness, for your soul is\nmeek like a handmaid\u2019s? Instead of garments of fine linen, lo! You are clothed\nin sordid weeds; instead of bracelets of gold and silver, there are not even\nrings on your fingers; instead of goodly sandals for your feet, not even worn\nshoes are on your feet. Disclose to me all your doing, for I understand not\nyour change. Is it that some one of your lovers has died, and you go to bury\nhim? We will go with you to the funeral, and with you will (take part with you)\nin sorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sinful woman answered and said to him,\n(even) to Satan, after his speech: Well have you said that I go to inter the\ndead, one that has died to me. The sin of my thoughts has died, and I go to\nbury it. Satan answered and said to her, (even) to the sinful woman after her\nwords: Go to, O woman, I tell you that I am the first of your lovers. I am not\nsuch as you, and I place my hands upon you. I will give you again more gold\nthan before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sinful woman answered and said to him,\neven to Satan after his discourse: I am wearied of you, O man, and you are no\nmore my lover. I have won me a husband in heaven, Who is God, that is over all,\nand His dominion stands for ever, and His kingdom shall not be dissolved. For\nlo! In your presence I say; I say it again and I lie not. I was a handmaid to\nSatan from my childhood unto this day. I was a bridge, and he trode upon me,\nand I destroyed thousands of men. The eyepaint blinded my eyes, and (I was)\nblind among many whom I blinded. I became sightless and knew not that there is\nOne Who gives light to the sightless. Lo! I go to get light for my eyes, and by\nthat light to give light to many. I was fast bound, and knew not that there is\nOne Who overthrows idols. Lo! I go to have my idols destroyed, and so to\ndestroy the follies of many. I was wounded and knew not that there is One Who\nbinds up wounds; and lo! I go to have my wounds bound. These things the harlot\nspoke to Satan in her wisdom; and he groaned and was grieved and wept; and he\ncried aloud and thus he spoke:\u2014 I am conquered by you, O woman, and what I\nshall do I know not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as Satan perceived that he could not\nchange her mind, he began to weep for himself and thus it was that he spoke:\nHenceforth is my boasting perished, and the pride of all my days. How shall I\nlay for her a snare, for her who is ascending on high? How shall I shoot arrows\nat her, (even) at her whose wall is unshaken? Therefore, I go into Jesus\u2019\npresence; lo! she is about to enter His presence; and I shall say to Him thus:\nThis woman is an harlot. Perchance He may reject and not receive her. And I shall\nsay to Him thus: This woman who comes into Your presence is a woman that is an\nharlot. She has led captive men by her whoredom; she is polluted from her\nyouth. But You, O Lord, are righteous; all men throng to see You. And if\nmankind see You that You have speech with the harlot, they all will flee from\nYour presence, and no man will salute You.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These things Satan spoke within himself, nor\nwas he moved. Then he changed the course of his thought, and thus it was that\nhe spoke. How shall I enter into Jesus\u2019 presence, for to Him the secret things\nare manifest? He knows me, who I am, that no good office is my purpose. If\nhaply He rebuke me I am undone, and all my wiles will be wasted. I will go to\nthe house of Simon, for secret things are not manifest to him. And into his\nheart I will put it; perchance on that hook he may be caught. And thus, will I\nsay unto him: By your life, O Simon, tell me; this man that sojourns in your\nhouse is he a man that is righteous, or a friend of the doers of wickedness? I\nam a wealthy man, and a man that has possessions, and I wish like you to invite\nhim that he may come in and bless my possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon answered and thus he said to the Evil\nOne after his words: From the day that (first) I saw Him I have seen no\nlewdness in Him, but rather quietness and peace, humility and seemliness. The\nsick He heals without reward, the diseased He freely cures. He approaches and\nstands by the grave, and calls, and the dead arise. Jairus called Him to raise\nhis daughter to life, trusting that He could raise her to life. And as He went\nwith him in the way, He gave healing to the woman diseased, who laid hold of\nthe hem of His garment and stole healing from Him, and her pain which was hard\nand bitter at once departed from her. He went forth to the desert and saw the\nhungry, how they were fainting with famine. He made them sit down on the grass,\nand fed them in His mercy. In the ship He slept as He willed, and the sea\nswelled against the disciples. He arose and rebuked the billows, and there was\na great calm. The widow, the desolate one who was following her only son, on\nthe way to the grave He consoled her. He gave him to her and gladdened her\nheart. To one man who was dumb and blind, by His voice He brought healing. The\nlepers He cleansed by His word; to the limbs of the palsied He restored\nstrength. For the blind man, afflicted and weary, He opened his eyes and he saw\nthe light. And for two others who besought Him, at once He opened their eyes.\nAs for me, thus have I heard the fame of the man from afar; and I called Him to\nbless my possessions, and to bless all my flocks and herds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satan answered and said to him, to Simon\nafter his words: Praise not a man at his beginning, until you learn his end;\nhitherto this man is sober and his soul takes not pleasure in wine. If he shall\ngo forth from your house, and holds not converse with an harlot, then he is a\nrighteous man and no friend of them that do wickedness. Such things did Satan\nspeak in his craftiness to Simon. Then he approached and stood afar off, to see\nwhat should come to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sinful woman full of transgressions\nstood clinging by the door. She clasped her arms in prayer, and thus she spoke\nbeseeching:\u2014 Blessed Son Who hast descended to earth for the sake of man\u2019s\nredemption, close not Your door in my face; for You have called me and lo! I\ncome. I know that You have not rejected me; open for me the door of Your mercy,\nthat I may come in, O my Lord, and find refuge in You, from the Evil One and\nhis hosts! I was a sparrow, and the hawk pursued me, and I have fled and taken\nrefuge in Your nest. I was a heifer, and the yoke galled me, and I will turn\nback my wanderings to You. Lay upon me the shoulder of Your yoke that I may\ntake it on me, and work with Your oxen. Thus did the harlot speak at the door\nwith much weeping. The master of the house looked and saw her, and the colour\nof his visage was changed; and he began thus to address her, (even) the harlot,\nin the opening of his words:\u2014 Depart hence, O harlot, for this man who abides\nin our house is a man that is righteous, and they that are of his companions\nare blameless. Is it not enough for you, harlot, that you have corrupted the\nwhole town? You have corrupted the chaste without shame; you have robbed the\norphans, and have not blushed, and have plundered the merchants\u2019 wares, and\nyour countenance is not abashed. From him your heart [and soul] labour [to\ntake]. But from him your net takes no spoil. For this man is righteous indeed,\nand they of his company are blameless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sinful woman answered and said to him,\neven to Simon when he had ceased: You surely are the guardian of the door, O\nyou that know things that are secret! I will propose the matter in the feast,\nand you shall be free from blame. And if there be any that wills me to come in,\nhe will bid me and I will come in. Simon ran and closed the door, and\napproached and stood afar off. And he tarried a long time and proposed not the\nmatter in the feast. But He, Who knows what is secret, beckoned to Simon and\nsaid to him:\u2014 Come hither, Simon, I bid you; does anyone stand at the door?\nWhosoever he be, open to him that he may come in; let him receive what he\nneeds, and go. If he be hungry and hunger for bread, lo! In your house is the\ntable of life; and if he be thirsty, and thirst for water, lo! The blessed\nfountain is in your dwelling. And if he be sick and ask for healing, lo! The\ngreat Physician is in your house. Allow sinners to look upon Me, for their\nsakes have I abased Myself. I will not ascend to heaven, to the dwelling whence\nI came down, until I bear back the sheep that has wandered from its Father\u2019s\nhouse, and lift it up on My shoulders and bear it aloft to heaven. Simon\nanswered and thus he said to Jesus, when He had done speaking:\u2014 My Lord, this\nwoman that stands in the doorway is a harlot: she is lewd and not free-born,\npolluted from her childhood. And You, my Lord, are a righteous man, and all are\neager to see You; and if men see You having speech with the harlot, all men\nwill flee from beside You, and no man will salute You. Jesus answered, and thus\nHe said to Simon when he was done speaking:\u2014 Whosoever it be, open for him to\ncome in, and you shall be free from blame; and though his offenses be many,\nwithout rebuke I bid you [receive him].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon approached and opened the door, and\nbegan thus to speak:\u2014 Come, enter, fulfil that you will, to him who is even as\nyou. The sinful woman, full of transgressions, passed forward and stood by His\nfeet, and clasped her arms in prayer, and with these words she spoke:\u2014 My eyes\nhave become watercourses that cease not from [watering] the fields, and today\nthey wash the feet of Him Who follows after sinners. This hair, abundant in\nlocks from my childhood till this day, let it not grieve You that it should\nwipe this holy body. The mouth that has kissed the lewd, forbid it not to kiss\nthe body that remits transgressions and sins. These things the harlot spoke to\nJesus, with much weeping. And Simon stood afar off to see what He would do to\nher. But He Who knows the things that are secret, beckoned to Simon and said to\nhim:\u2014 Lo! I will tell you, O Simon, what your meditation is, concerning the\nharlot. Within your mind you imagine and within your soul you said, \u2018I have\ncalled this man righteous, but lo! The harlot kisses Him. I have called Him to\nbless my possessions, and lo! The harlot embraces Him.\u2019 O Simon, there were two\ndebtors, whose creditor was one only; one owed him five-hundred [pence], and\nthe other owed fifty. And when the creditor saw that neither of these two had\nanything, the creditor pardoned and forgave them both their debt. Which of them\nought to render the greater thanks? He who was forgiven five hundred, or he who\nwas forgiven fifty? Simon answered, and thus he said to Jesus, when He had done\nspeaking:\u2014 He who was forgiven five hundred ought to render the greater thanks.\nJesus answered and thus He said: You are he that owes five hundred, and this\nwoman owes fifty. Lo! I came into your house, O Simon; and water for My feet\nyou brought not; and this woman, of whom you said that she was an harlot, one\nfrom her childhood defiled, has washed My feet with her tears, and with her\nhair she has wiped them. Ought I to send her away, O Simon, without receiving\nforgiveness? Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will write of her in the Gospel.\nGo, O woman, your sins are forgiven you and all your transgression is covered;\nhenceforth and to the end of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May our Lord account us worthy of hearing this word of His:\u2014\nCome, enter, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom made ready for all\nwho shall do My will, and observe all My commandments. To Him be glory; on us\nbe mercy; at all times. Amen! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Original blog available at- https:\/\/becomingfullyalive.com\/a-model-of-repentance\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Model of Repentance By BFA Team Originally seen on Becoming Fully Alive blog site, 12th October 2016 This post is a homily by St Ephraim the Syrian on the sinful woman. May her story encourage us in our repentance! Hear and be comforted, beloved, how merciful is God. To the sinful woman He forgave … Continue reading “A Model of Repentance”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4,201,127,220,88],"class_list":["post-6894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-forgiveness","tag-grace","tag-healing","tag-redemption","tag-repentance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6894"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6901,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6894\/revisions\/6901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}